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Award Levels |
Home > Methodology > Award Levels |
A' Design Awards - Academic Ranking |
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| Award | Description | Number Given |
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Platinum A' Design Award (1st Place)
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1 |
First Place (Platinum and Gold): If the academic guidelines of your institution allows multiple first place winners for any given award or competition, then all A' Design Award - Platinum Award-Winning Works shall be considered first place for the following reasons: 1) The A' Design Award is an extremely big competition with tens of thousands of entries every year, and it is not a fair if only one work is noted as first place, it is not fair to compare to awards that have countable number of entries, it is not fair to compare to awards that have a few jurors; in A' Design Award, there are too many good works in many design award categories. 2) A' Design Award has a very large jury panel that is able to judge and sort entries correctly, based on blind peer-review process. 3) Platinum A' Design Award is an extremely hard to obtain highly meritocratic achievement. This is an international event where designers from all countries and industries take part, as such we strongly recommend all Platinum A' Design Award winners to be considered first place, for the technical calculation of academic progression points, rankings and/or performance point calculations. Furthermore, given the considerations above, we also strongly recommend that all A' Design Award - Gold Award-Winning Works shall also be considered first place for the same purpose of academic progression points calculations, as it is very hard to obtain Gold A' Design Award status, and only a few given every year. Platinum A' Design Award is a better status than Gold A' Design Award status, but both Platinum and Gold A' Design Award status are world-class achievements that require exceptional design capacitity, as such our sincere recommendation is to consider all Platinum and Gold A' Design Award winners as first place, for academic progression point, ranking or similar performance point calculations. |
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Platinum A' Design Award (2nd Place)
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1 |
| Second Place (Silver): If the academic guidelines of your institution allows multiple second place winners for any given award or competition, then all A' Design Award - Silver Award-Winning Workss shall be considered second place for purpose of academic progression, ranking and performance point calculations. | ||
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Platinum A' Design Award (3rd Place) A design which gets the third highest score is a winner of the "Platinum A' Design Award - No.3", there is only one given. This corresponds to the third place and owners of this award can use the Platinum A' Design seal. |
1 |
| Third Place (Bronze): If the academic guidelines of your institution allows multiple third place winners for any given award or competition, then all A' Design Award - Bronze Award-Winning Works shall be considered third place for purpose of academic progression, ranking and performance point calculations. | ||
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A' Design Award A design in top (10% < 20%) is a winner, and gets the A' Design Award. This corresponds to honorable mention for the purposes of academic achievement. |
20% |
| Honorable Mention (Iron) : A' Design Award - Iron Award-Winning Works shall be considered honorable mention equivalent for the purposes of academic progression, ranking and performance point calculations. | ||
Academic Ranking - Notes |
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Metal A' Design Awards |
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| Award | Description | Number Given |
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A' Design Award Note: For World Design Rankings, this award is considered "Iron". This Award is the standard A' Design Award. The word "IRON" is replaced with "WINNER" when displayed at your profile pages. |
20% |
| The Iron A’ Design Award designation is an important achievement, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed products, projects, services, experiences, ideas and intellectual properties. The Iron A' Design Award designated works demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding and creative capacity of their creators. Designs that are bestowed with the famed Iron A’ Design Award title are expected to be highly-regarded, admired and cherished creations that are practical and innovative. A’ Design Award - Iron winner designs are honoured inventions that integrate industry best practices. Iron A’ Design Award designs have competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. The Iron A’ Design Award recipient designs are respected for thoroughness and are designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the World a better place. Iron A’ Design Award winning works satisfy our needs and provides us with fulfilment and positive feelings. | ||
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Bronze A' Design Award A design in top (10% < 5%) gets the Bronze A' Design Award instead of the A' Design Award. |
5% |
| The Bronze A’ Design Award designation is a very important achievement, a much prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs that are distinguished by creativity, ingenuity and astuteness. The Bronze A’ Design Award designated designs are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination and resourcefulness of their designers. Designs that are bestowed with the respected Bronze A’ Design Award title are expected to be highly-regarded, admired and cherished objects, valued projects and clever ideas that are notably professional and innovative. A’ Design Award - Bronze winner designs are esteemed creations that incorporate best practices in art, science, design and technology. Bronze A’ Design Award designs have strong technical characteristics combined with tasteful use of creative skill. The Bronze A’ Design Award recipient designs are excellent for their attention to details and are good at providing quality of life improvements that help make the World a better place. Bronze A’ Design Award winning works splendidly satisfy our needs, touch our desires, charm our feelings and appeal to our curiosity. | ||
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Silver A' Design Award A design in top (5% < 3%) gets the Silver A' Design Award instead of the A' Design Award. |
2% |
| The Silver A’ Design Award designation is an extraordinary important achievement, an enormously prestigious recognition granted to top-of-the-line designs that are gorgeous, sublime, admirable and outright impressive. The Silver A’ Design Award designated designs are tremendously brilliant and exceedingly creative works that illustrate the outstanding expertise, talent and acuity of their designers. Designs that are bestowed with the revered Silver A’ Design Award title are expected to be wonderful, showpiece works that are remarkably professional and profoundly innovative. A’ Design Award - Silver winner designs are highly notable, admired inventions that benefit and advance the boundaries of art, science, design and technology. Silver A’ Design Award designs stand for their strong technical characteristics, splendid artistic skill, original innovations, discerning emotional elements and insightful creativity. The Silver A’ Design Award recipient designs showcase a remarkable level of excellence and make the World a better place with their exceptional characteristics. Silver A’ Design Award winning works are vastly envied creations that evokes our desires, introduce positive feelings and sparkle amazement and wonderment in us. | ||
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Golden A' Design Award A design in top (3% < 1%) gets the Golden A' Design Award instead of the A' Design Award. |
2% |
| The Golden A’ Design Award designation is an immensely important, exceptional achievement, an extremely prestigious recognition granted to first-rate designs that are simply marvellous, outstanding, sensational and excellent. The Golden A’ Design Award designated designs are exceedingly innovative, highly visionary and glamorously dazzling creations that reflect the prodigy, wisdom and prowess of their designers. Designs that are bestowed with the treasured Golden A’ Design Award title are expected to be most praised, trendsetting, monumental inventions, great and significant works that deliver unprecedented value. A’ Design Award - Golden winner designs are spectacular, venerated products, respected projects and bright ideas that highly benefit and advance the boundaries of art, science, design and technology. Golden A’ Design Award designs exhibit very strong technical attributes, incorporate brilliant artistic skill, employ unique innovations, embody wondrous emotional elements and contain enormous creative qualities. The Golden A’ Design Award recipient designs manifest extraordinary level of excellence and make the World a better place with their desirable and helpful characteristics. Golden A’ Design Award winning works create intense feelings of desire, evoke passion, encourage creativity, stimulate aesthetic expression, enchant, enrapture and fascinate us. | ||
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Platinum A' Design Award
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1% |
| The Platinum A’ Design Award designation is an extremely important, extraordinary achievement, a crowning accomplishment, an exceedingly prestigious recognition granted to world-class designs that are truly exceptional, elegant, breath-taking, magnificent and phenomenal. The Platinum A’ Design Award designated designs are marvels of creation, true testaments to the limits of intellectual creativity, and demonstrate unmatched professionalism and uttermost genius of their designers. Designs that are bestowed with the coveted Platinum A’ Design Award title are expected to be most renowned, magnum opus works, success stories that define the aesthetics of an era, trends of the decade, and contribute to the wellbeing of our society. A’ Design Award - Platinum winner designs are astonishingly superior, prized inventions that eminently benefit and advance the boundaries of art, science, design and technology. Platinum A’ Design Award designs manifest intensely strong technical properties, embody outstandingly alluring artistic skill, incorporate remarkable innovations, illustrate unprecedented emotional elements and contain highly unique creative qualities. The Platinum A’ Design Award recipient designs exhibit transcendent level of excellence and unequivocally make the World a better place with their advantageous and worthwhile characteristics. Platinum A’ Design Award winning works are lust after creations that trigger our desires, inspire, motivate, excite, delight, comfort and arouse us, ignite original thinking, spur artistic expression and spark great joy. | ||
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Iridium A' Design Award Note: From 2008 to 2022, this award was not given to any entitly, and as such, in 2022, this award status has been discontinued especially to ensure World Design Rankings, Designer Rankings, Designer Honorific Titles and Design Classifications could be fairly calculated. We reserve this as an honorific title, in such obtaining this rank may still be possible but will count as a Platinum award, with the exception that in the Gala-Night, we may present you with a special trophy and/or certificate. |
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Complementary Awards |
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| Award | Description | Number Given |
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Country Award Can be freely used by the eligibile parties for their communication and advertising campaigns, year must be indicated. |
As Needed. |
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Company Award Can be freely used by the eligibile parties for their communication and advertising campaigns, year must be indicated. |
As Needed. |
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Faculty Award Can be freely used by the eligibile parties for their communication and advertising campaigns, year must be indicated. |
As Needed. |
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Instructor Award Can be freely used by the eligibile parties for their communication and advertising campaigns, year must be indicated. |
As Needed. |
Non-Award Status |
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| Award | Description | Number Given |
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Runner-Up A design in top (20% < 30%) is a runner-up, although they are not winners, they are underlined for their potential and will receive special benefits. |
30% |
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Participants A participant is not a winner, but she has taken part in the competition in an honorary way. They are not given an award because the awards are given to a determined percent. This status is not displayed in profile, and designs with participant status are not showcased. |
As Needed |
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Rejected Rejected projects are designs that were not given an award due low design quality, or due to obscureness or due to technical problems. This status is not displayed in profile, and designs with design status are not showcased. |
As Needed |
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Disqualified Disqualified projects are usually related with idea theft, copyright infringement, and obviously copy-designs and projects. This status is not displayed in profile, and designs with disqualifed design status are not showcased. |
As Needed |
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Nominee Projects that are submitted and nominated to the competition which are consideration are A' Design Award nominees. The status nominee might be shown, however design details will be hidden until award announcement. Entries with Nominee design status are not showcased. |
As Needed |
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| Iridium Trophy | Platinum Trophy | Gold Trophy |
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| Silver Trophy | Bronze Trophy | Iron Trophy |
All awards can be used as a seal of excellence for products, designs etc. Each award has an academic matching. All the designs that recieve the award will be published in the annual book. Please be reminded that the award percentages would be less in years where there are substantial number of entries. Furthermore please be reminded that the trophies listed in this page are renders. Actual trophies are slighly different and are 3D printed in metal with smoother interiors.
Please do kindly note that the A’ Design Award voting system does not permit awarding of entries which are below a certain score even though these entries would be in the top 30% after all entries are voted for. This explains the discrepancies that could occassionally occur in the number of winners’ percentage to number of participants which is usually less than the 30%. This base score methodology was introduced in early 2010 to ensure that only the entries that meet the standard for international recognition would be awarded. Likewise, the counter principle is usually respected and the number of awards could be expanded, be potentially higher if all entries would be extremely competitive in terms of their design qualities.
Furthermore, being the first in a category does not result in a Platinum award either. The reason is as follows: The A' Design Award and Competition voting mechanism ranks entries not based on purely on their average score, but using a sorting function that considers the normalized z-score, standard deviation of juror scores, weight of juror scores for criterias, weight of category scores, variance of scores which are calculated within the category but also with respect to all other entries in all other categories, given this score calculation, the implication is that even if your category would have only 1 entries, it is not obliged to be platinum award winner nor it would not be considered the worst in the category (because you would imagine if there is one entry, it is the best and the worst which of course does not make sense), thus a comparison of the calculated score is compared to other categories, in this case the entry being the first place within a category does not imply a platinum award level nor a participant (non-winner) status. Furthermore there are additional requirements for award levels, for instance the platinum award level requires that the entry is in top 1% in its category, plus with respect to all other designs, it has a significantly high score (significance is decided on how far the average score of this entry is away in terms of standard deviation to other entries) plus majority of jury members should have up-voted it, up-voting means that majority of jury members would vote significantly higher than their average for that design (again significance is based on their standard deviations).
Please also see: benefits for winners, winners services and winners pack.
