National Design Award of Latvia

National Design Award of Latvia
Native nameLatvijas Dizaina gada balva
Awarded forAchievements in Latvian design
CountryLatvia
Presented byLatvian Design Centre
First award2017
Websitedizainabalva.lv/eng/

The National Design Award of Latvia (Latvian: Latvijas Dizaina gada balva; NDAL), also referred to in English-language coverage as the Latvian Design Award, is a national competition and award for design in Latvia.[1] It was established in 2017 with support from the Latvian Ministry of Culture to identify, evaluate and promote achievements by Latvian designers and to encourage the use of design created in Latvia.[2]

The organisers and Latvian Public Media describe it as Latvia's highest recognition in design.[2][3] The competition covers product, service, communication and environmental design, as well as digital solutions; work by emerging designers is evaluated separately in recent editions.[4]

History

H2E organised the first three editions, from 2017 to 2019.[2] The inaugural competition in 2017 received 147 entries, and an international jury selected 20 finalists.[5] The first prize went to the data-visualisation service Infogram.[6] In 2018, 127 works were submitted.[7] The first prize was awarded to the visual communication and spatial design created for the Riga International Film Festival by Associates, Partners et Sons.[8] The 2019 award went to the #iamintrovert campaign developed for Latvian Literature.[9]

The Latvian Designers' Society was selected to organise the competition in 2020 and 2021.[10] The 2020 edition was deferred to the following year while the organisers revised the format and held preparatory events.[11] The 2021 competition introduced five categories and attracted 150 entries.[3] Jury members described the award as both a record of the current state of Latvian design and a means of explaining design to the public.[12] The Grand Award was given to Stories in Sounds, a book with augmented-reality elements created by Maija Rozenfelde and a design team, and the winners and finalists were subsequently presented in an outdoor exhibition in Riga and Liepāja.[13][3]

The Latvian Design Centre organised the 2023–2025 award cycle and was selected to continue for a further three years, through the 2026–2028 cycle.[2] The current competition framework is aligned with the Latvian Design Strategy 2022–2027 and the principles of the New European Bauhaus.[2]

Format and evaluation

Works realised in Latvia may be entered regardless of their authors' nationality. Works realised elsewhere are eligible when their authors' country of affiliation is Latvia. Entries may be submitted by authors, owners, clients or other people connected with the work.[14]

Recent editions use five categories: product design, service design, communication design, environmental design and digital solutions. The competition has a selection stage followed by evaluation by a final international jury. Finalists present their work to the jury, which chooses the category winners, the Grand Prix and the Emerging Designer Award.[4] The Grand Prix recipient receives a €2,000 Ministry of Culture prize in recent editions.[4]

The assessment criteria include originality; the definition of the problem and the suitability of the proposed solution; co-creation and stakeholder involvement; functionality and technology; aesthetics and the quality of experience; economic relevance, sustainability and circularity; and social relevance, inclusion and accessibility.[15]

Public programme

Exhibitions have accompanied the competition since its first edition. The Museum of Decorative Arts and Design displayed 20 finalists in both 2017 and 2018.[5][7] The 2021 finalists and recipients were shown on outdoor advertising structures in Riga and Liepāja.[3] In 2025, an open-air exhibition at the Esplanāde in central Riga presented the winners and finalists, including student projects and commissions for public institutions.[16]

Selected principal recipients

Year Principal distinction Recipient or work Source
2017 First prize Infogram [6]
2018 First prize Visual communication and spatial design for the Riga International Film Festival, by Associates, Partners et Sons [8]
2019 Top award #iamintrovert campaign for Latvian Literature [9]
2021 Grand Award Stories in Sounds, a book with augmented-reality elements by Maija Rozenfelde and a design team [13]
2023 Grand Prix Ēter, for the exhibition scenography of Weird Sensation Feels Good: The World of ASMR at the Design Museum, London [17]
2024 Grand Prix Pre-Loved biotextile, by Sarmīte Poļakova and Māra Bērziņa [18]
2025 Grand Prix Magic, for the Slimība izārda, cerība dziedē! campaign for the charity marathon Dod pieci! [1]
2026 Grand Prix Design of the Baltic pavilion We Are One at Expo 2025, by Variant Studio, Ozols IR, Inspired, 7.A.M, YesWeCan and Datu Tehnoloģiju grupa [19]

Reception and sector discussion

Coverage of the 2021 edition described the award as one of the principal events in Latvia's design industry and discussed its role in documenting current practice and explaining the field to a wider audience.[12] A 2026 Latvian Radio assessment reported that jury deliberations were especially difficult when categories brought together projects of substantially different types. Participants also identified strong aesthetics as a feature of Latvian design while arguing that designers' presentation and storytelling skills required further development.[20]

References

  1. 1 2 "Latvian Design Award goes to charity drive campaign creators". LSM English. Latvian Public Media. 6 June 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "About the Award". National Design Award of Latvia. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Rīgas un Liepājas ielās skatāma Dizaina gada balvas izstāde". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Izziņota Latvijas Dizaina gada balvas 2026 fināla žūrija un nozīmīgākie pasākumi". Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Latvia (in Latvian). 15 May 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Exhibition "National Design Award of Latvia 2017"". FOLD. 6 March 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Latvijas Nacionālo dizaina gada balvu iegūst vizualizācijas rīks «Infogram»". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 "Exhibition "National Design Award of Latvia 2018"". FOLD. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Dizaina gada balvas galvenie lauri – par «Riga IFF» vizuālo komunikāciju". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  9. 1 2 ""Introverts" win Latvia's top design award". LSM English. Latvian Public Media. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  10. ↑ ""Latvijas Dizaina gada balvu" organizēs Latvijas Dizaineru savienība". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  11. ↑ Gaigala, Līga (19 February 2020). "Latvijas Dizaina gada balvu šogad nepasniegs, bet pārcels uz nākamo gadu". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  12. 1 2 Solovjova, Jeļena (15 May 2021). "Tapt pasaulē, kas pārpildīta ar lietām. Sarunājas Dizaina balvas žūrijas pārstāvji". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Apbalvoti "Latvijas Dizaina gada balvas" konkursa uzvarētāji piecās kategorijās". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  14. ↑ "Winter Submission for the National Design Award of Latvia 2025 Opened on February 10". National Design Award of Latvia. 10 February 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Atklāta ziemas pieteikšanās Latvijas Dizaina gada balvai 2025". Diena (in Latvian). 10 February 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  16. ↑ "Latvian Design Award nominee works on display in central Rīga". LSM English. Latvian Public Media. 4 July 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Latvijas Dizaina gada balvas "Grand Prix" saņēmis arhitektūras birojs "Ēter"". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 3 June 2023. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Dizaina balvas "Grand Prix" un prēmiju saņem dizaineres par biotekstilu "Pre-Loved"". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 24 May 2024. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  19. ↑ "Noskaidroti "Latvijas Dizaina gada balvas 2026" ieguvēji; Grand Prix – "Expo 2025" Baltijas paviljona dizainam". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. 21 May 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
  20. ↑ Rozenberga, Māra (26 May 2026). "Spēcīgi estētikā, bet vājāki prezentācijā. Kādas domas par nozari raisījusi Latvijas Dizaina gada balva?". LSM.lv (in Latvian). Latvian Public Media. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
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