The German Federal Ecodesign Award

The German Federal Ecodesign Award recognises and honours pioneers in the field of ecological design. Winners receive an award in their respective category as well as the right to advertise themselves using the Ecodesign title. After the official presentation of the award, the winning entries will be part of a high-profile publicity campaign in a range of media. They will also feature in the online exhibition on the Federal Award website and take part in a touring exhibition. Moreover, winners of the Young Talent award each receive a cash prize of 1,000 euros.The Federal Ecodesign Award is a state-sponsored award and is not operated on a commercial basis. The official logos in the respective award categories can be used freely by nominees and winners for their own product communication. Logos may be passed on to other project members or cooperation partners. Immediately after the jury meeting, all nominees receive the ‘nominated’ form of the logo in two versions for print and online use. Winners are announced at the awards ceremony at the Federal Environment Ministry, with each receiving the logo in their respective category (Product, Service, Concept, Young Talent) for their own use. All nominees and winners are invited to the awards ceremony, which includes guests from the worlds of politics, business and design and takes place in the atrium of the Federal Environment Ministry in Berlin. Following a laudatory address by a member of the jury, winners are invited onto the stage to be congratulated by Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks and UBA President Maria Krautzberger and to be presented with a personalised certificate and trophy. Moreover, winners of the Young Talent award each receive a cash prize of one thousand euros. For each winning project, postcards are produced that include a photo of the project, the personal jury statement and the respective company details. These postcards are displayed at the awards ceremony and on all the stops of the touring exhibition. The awards ceremony is documented photographically and, following the event, images are made available to the press as well as to nominees and winners. Images from previous years’ awards ceremonies can be found under the menu item Press Service. Following the official presentation, nominated and winning entries become part of a high-profile publicity campaign across a range of media. They also feature in the online exhibition on the Federal Award website and take part in a touring exhibition at trade fairs and museums. To support their own public relations efforts, all winners receive a press kit that includes the press release, an individual jury statement, text materials on the Federal Ecodesign Award and additional images from the awards ceremony. Well-known media partners from the fields of design and business provide support for the Federal Ecodesign Award as well as compile and distribute their own reports on the prize winners. A good product should be beautiful and convenient, made to last, and cause the lowest possible impact on the environment. Often, this is a question of design: Up to 80 % of the total environmental impact of a product is design-dependent. This is the starting point for the German Federal Ecodesign Award, which has the overriding objective of bringing sustainable consumption out of its niche. We know that our present way of life and business has no future. We consume too much resources and energy, are wasteful with soil and land, and emit too many greenhouse gases and pollutants. Thereby, we are damaging the very basis of life. There is some good news: It seems that we humans have recognised these truths. In 2015, the global community adopted new goals for sustainable development, which are set to be implemented over the coming one and a half decades. Around the world, a process of reversal has begun. As consumers, this process will affect all of us, as what is required most urgently is a reversal in our consumption. However, for this to succeed, new products and services must be both environmentally friendly as well as “eye-catching”. The German Federal Ecodesign Award is supporting this task. Have you developed a product, service or concept, that demonstrates a high level of innovation, both from a design and environmental perspective? Then apply for the German Federal Government’s highest award for ecological design! Find out more about why it’s worth participating here: https://www.bundespreis-ecodesign.de/en/wettbewerb/gewinn.html