16th International Design Contest Trieste Contemporanea

The Trieste Contemporanea Committee is pleased to announce the 16th edition of its International Design Contest: HOLD THE PLACE. The competition is carried out under the patronage of the Central European Initiative, and with the co-financing from the Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia and the collaboration of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Territorial Delegation of ADI – Association for Industrial Design.

Besides the Award Ceremony for the winning designs, a number of projects selected by the panel of judges will be exhibited at Trieste Contemporanea and an exhibition catalogue will be published online. The winners will have their Trieste Award Ceremony travel and accommodation expenses covered by the organizing Committee.

2026 Edition Theme: Hold the place

General Theme

The 16th edition of the Competition invites designers to explore the relationship between object, memory, and place by proposing an original concept for a small functional object that preserves a personal experience of Friuli Venezia Giulia, either lived or imagined, through the designer's perspective.

This is not about describing this territory of North-Eastern Italy in a literal way, but about capturing its character in the form of a device for use: an object that, through its use, evokes the cultural, historical, social, or landscape context that inspired it.
Functionality, formal clarity, and conceptual strength must converge in a coherent and conscious proposal—an object in which use becomes a vehicle for storytelling and in which material houses identity (an encouraged option). The project must be accompanied by a short text that effectively conveys the essence of the object. Sustainability and practical feasibility are not secondary requirements, but expressions of design maturity and responsibility toward the context.

Special Them

Fifty years after the Friuli earthquake, a Special Prize is dedicated to Venzone, a town that symbolises reconstruction after 1976. Through a functional object connected, in accordance with the Competition's general principles to this place, participants are asked to interpret the themes of resilience and community, transforming them into a project of continuity and renewal.

Awards

BEBA PRIZE – for the youngest designer individually participating, among those selected: 1.000 €.
CEI PRIZE – for the best design from one of the non-EU CEI countries: 3.000 €.
GILLO DORFLES PRIZE – for the best overall design of 2026 competition: 4.000 €.
VENZONE SPECIAL PRIZE – for the project that best represents the special theme 2026: 2.000 €.

Eligibility and submissions

The competition is open to designers, of any age, born in the CEI member states (CEI member states are listed on the CEI website) and Austria. The original and unpublished projects should be submitted through an online application form at the Trieste Contemporanea website.