interzum award 2025 now open: Jury is looking for innovative and sustainable solutions

As of today, exhibitors participating in interzum 2025 can enter their new technical developments, advanced materials, exciting product innovations, concepts and processes for the interzum award 2025. Suppliers from across the world that serve the furniture and interior design industry have until 21 February 2025 to make their submissions and see how they measure up to the global competition.

The competition is being organised by interzum for the thirteenth time. An expert jury will select the industry’s most outstanding innovative solutions in the Function & Components, Materials & Nature, Textile & Machinery, and Rethinking Resources categories. All the information on the contest and the online entry form can be found at www.interzum.de/award

New competition category: Rethinking Resources

The forthcoming edition of the sector’s leading international trade fair is devoted to the central theme of Rethinking Resources: Circular and Biobased Solutions. This topic will also play an important role in the interzum award and has been designated a special category in the competition. The category will honour products and concepts that demonstrate a carefully considered approach to their use of resources. Either they fulfil the principles of the circular economy by being designed to keep materials and products in the economic cycle for as long as possible (for example through reuse, repair, refurbishment and recycling), or they present impressive biobased solutions that use materials produced from regrowing sources, making them environmentally friendly alternatives to petroleum-based products.

“Especially in challenging times like these, companies and designers from the fields of furniture production and interior design need to consider sustainability in their selection of materials and production process more intensively than ever before if they want to be future-proof and competitive,” says Maik Fischer, interzum’s director. “That’s why we made the conscious decision to give this edition of the interzum award an even stronger focus on sustainable products and concepts. This creates an opportunity for the sector to show industry professionals and a broad audience that it has seen the signs of the time as well, that it’s creative and innovative, and that it is taking responsibility.”

The interzum award 2025 will once again be a mark of recognition for products and concepts that act as beacons for others in the industry. “Award-winning projects in an industry contest such as this often serve as leading lights for the sector and show the way forward,” says Professor Peter Zec, the founder and CEO of Red Dot, which has been commissioned by interzum to host the contest.

Showcase of the award-winning projects

For the entire duration of interzum, from 20 to 23 May 2025, products, materials and concepts that have been recognised at the 2025 interzum award will be showcased to the international trade audience in a special exhibition on the North Boulevard.

The online exhibition featuring descriptions and photographs of the award-winning products and projects will be on permanent display at: www.interzum.de/award. This makes the award website an interesting research tool and a source of inspiration for professionals working in product development, design and architecture who are looking for innovative and sustainable in-depth solutions and materials.

interzum award 2025 – eligible participants

The interzum award 2025 is exclusively open to companies exhibiting at interzum 2025. Each entrant will be charged a one-off entry fee of 990.00 euros (plus VAT). Contestants may submit multiple entries.

Entries can be put forward for the following categories:

Function & Components
Lamps and (digital) lighting systems, semi-finished products for cabinet, kitchen, office and frame furniture, fittings, (digital) locks, built-in furniture components, hinges, connectors, etc.

Materials & Nature
Wood, veneers, parquet flooring, interior construction, decorative surface design, decor papers, laminates, wood-based materials, solid-surface materials, edging products, surface treatments and finishes, embossing cylinders, sheet metals, natural materials, etc.

Textile & Machinery
Machinery for upholstery and mattress manufacture, upholstery materials, upholstery accessories, cover fabrics, leathers, adhesives, temperature and moisture sensors for mattresses, smart textiles (e.g. light-conducting), etc.

Rethinking Resources: Circular and Biobased Solutions
Products and concepts that demonstrate a carefully considered approach to their use of resources, fulfil the principles of the circular economy or present impressive biobased solutions.

The jury

A jury of international experts will assess all the entries to the competition with regard to their design quality, innovation potential and aspects such as sustainability or the intelligent integration of digital components. The seven members of the jury will reach a joint verdict on the submissions, award the title High Product Quality in each category and honour outstanding achievements that set new standards with the Best of the Best award.

Professor Masayo Ave
Founder of the design studio MasayoAve creation and SXD.Lab – Sensory Experience Design Laboratory, Berlin

Dr Luisa Bocchietto
Freelance architect and designer with a studio in Biella (Italy), visiting professor at universities and design schools, senator of the World Design Organization, Biella, Italy

Frederik Lauwaert
Managing director of the EBIA – European Bedding Industries’ Association, Brussels, Belgium

Kristina Meyer
Designer and founder and co-proprietor of byform produktdesign, Cologne and Bielefeld

Vito Ora�em
Managing director of Red Dot, executive director of the Design Centre North Rhine-Westphalia and director of the Red Dot Design Museum, Essen

Professor Sascha Peters
Founder and proprietor of the material consultancy and technology agency HAUTE INNOVATION, Berlin

Professor Martin Stosch
Lecturer in industrial furniture construction, Production Engineering and Wood Technology Department, OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Lemgo

Dates for the interzum award 2025

• Deadline for entries: 21 February 2025
• Jury deliberations: 3 April 2025
• Verdict communicated to contestants: April 2025
• interzum 2025: 20–23 May 2025
• Showcase of all the award-winning products: 20–23 May 2025
• Online exhibition of all the award-winning products: from 20 May 2025

 

For further information and to enter, please visit:
www.interzum.com/award