In a rapidly changing and increasingly demanding marketplace, design is a critical source of competitive advantage. Embedded within, and throughout a business, design can impact across the total enterprise transforming its fortunes and tangibly realising its strategic intent.
From measuring success to sharing excellence and best practice, we work to build universal confidence in design investment, and to enable thriving partnerships between those commissioning and managing design and the agencies delivering it.
Through our work, and with the powerful collective voice of our membership, the DBA is uniquely placed to drive design ever further up the agenda in business and government.
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Design Effectiveness
The DBA champions the role of effective design in the creation of business growth.
We support the sector in articulating the value of design and work with business and government to achieve a marketplace where design’s full potential is universally capitalised upon.
The DBA Design Effectiveness Awards were established in 1989. They are the longest running, most robust international effectiveness awards for design out there.
For design work that works
The 2027 DBA Design Effectiveness Awards are now open for entry.
Entries from across the globe are welcome.
Design work in any context is eligible.
The entry deadline is 5pm GMT, Tuesday 1 December 2026. Everything you need to get started on your entry is detailed in the Entry Pack.
DBA Design Effectiveness Awards
If you want to convincingly demonstrate and prove the effectiveness and impact of the design work you and your team produce, the unique accreditation of winning a DBA Design Effectiveness Award gives you the ability to do this.
Independently, expertly and robustly peer reviewed by a panel of judges who sit within a wide range of design commissioning organisations.
Our judges are design leaders working in the environments you work in and who understand the challenges associated with meeting and exceeding the brief to create meaningful change and growth.
These awards recognise your success, whatever the sector or discipline of design you work within.
Preparing to enter
Entered jointly by the agency or in-house design team delivering the work, and the organisation commissioning it, these international awards celebrate the partnerships that deliver value – be that commercial, societal or environmental.
The only requirement is that you have the measured proof that design made a clear and significant contribution to the results achieved by the work.
Download the Entry Pack for everything you need to get started.
The deadline for entry is 5pm GMT, Tuesday 1 December 2026.
DBA members get one free entry. Additional entries are £595+vat.
Non-member entries are £1120+vat.
There is an early-bird discount available to DBA members and non-members – full details can be found on page 7 of the Entry Pack.
UK and international businesses are eligible to enter.
Find out more at effectivedesign.org.uk.
The effect of winning
A DBA Design Effectiveness Award win provides independent, authoritative and unquestionable recognition of the impact of your work in the real world.
A win can help to make the case for design investment at board level, maintaining and growing budgets, and boost and motivate your team, helping to attract the brightest and best talent.
A win will powerfully demonstrate your ability to deliver competitive advantage through design, setting you apart from the masses and driving new business opportunities.
Leverage a unique winner’s logo across your communications as the marque to demonstrate the tangible returns you’ve delivered and display a trophy proudly within your offices.
Your work will be displayed on effectivedesign.org.uk and warc.com enabling you to globally profile your work in detail and demonstrate the scale of impact you’ve delivered.
Benefits of winning aside, entering these Awards will bring a discipline to your team that will enable you to continuously measure, track and prove the impact of your work to your clients.
“Winning a DBA Design Effectiveness Award demonstrates the true value design can bring. It elevates design above simply the aesthetic or a cost and highlights the extensive value design can provide across any industry.” Paul Edwards, Head of Advanced Design, Airbus
“Evidencing the value of design is a critical part of our craft. We have to be comfortable finding ways to measure, monitor, assess and evaluate the impact our work is having on the world. We also need to make sure we’re measuring the right things, at the right time.” Andy Young, Former Group Director of Experience Design, Lloyds Banking Group
2026 DBA Design Effectiveness Award winners
The winners of the 2026 DBA Design Effectiveness Awards were announced at The Design Effect at The National Gallery in London on 10 March 2026.
The live event explored and celebrated the impact of design and featured speakers including Samsung’s President and Chief Design Officer, Mauro Porcini and technology broadcaster, journalist and author, Lara Lewington.
Forty Gold, Silver and Bronze winners were recognised for the impact of their work. Reimagining the way solar energy is positioned and delivered in South Africa, GoSolr and Xfacta won the Grand Prix. For more details about the 2026 winners and entering the awards, head to effectivedesign.org.uk where you can also access hundreds of winning case studies.