Deadline: 31 October 2026
2026 InnovMetal Award 21st International Competition
Organizer
Yongkang Municipal People's Government
Location
Open worldwide; based in Yongkang, Zhejiang Province, China
Deadline
31 October 2026 (24:00 CST)
- Product Track: Design products and services with outstanding commercial and social value that can be rapidly commercialized; no category restrictions.
- Creative Track:
- "FEIJIAN" – Green and Healthy Drinkware Design
- "LONGYARD" – Multi-functional Quick-Assembly Room/Shed Design
- "LIJIUJIA" – Home Fitness Equipment Design
- "Hardware City" – City Souvenir Design
- "BUYANG" – Smart Entry Door Design
- "SIFANG" – Smart Agricultural Machinery for Hilly and Mountainous Areas
Eligibility
Open to participants worldwide, including students and faculty members from universities and research institutes, design institutions, individual designers or design teams, design studios, and enterprises.
Entry Fee
Free
Prizes/Awards
Total prize fund for both tracks is approximately US$537,600. The top prize in the Product Track – the Gold Star Award – is US$140,000. The main prize for each brief in the Creative Track is US$7,000. Winning works also gain opportunities for in-depth collaboration and industrialization with Yongkang's hardware manufacturing industry.
Core Introduction
The InnovMetal Award (IMA), established in 2006 and formerly known as the China Hardware Products International Industrial Design Competition, reaches its 21st edition in 2026. Centered on the theme "Design Driving the Future of Hardware," IMA seeks to explore new functions, values, and user experiences for traditional hardware products, guiding the industry toward sustainable development and creating infinite possibilities for future living. With the goal of empowering industrial upgrading through design innovation, IMA brings together outstanding design resources from around the world and promotes the deep integration of excellent design achievements with the hardware manufacturing industry in Yongkang, China. The Product Track focuses on rapidly commercializable innovative products and services, attracting outstanding innovation projects and teams to integrate with Yongkang's manufacturing base. The Creative Track features six specific briefs spanning drinkware, quick-assembly structures, fitness equipment, city souvenirs, smart entry doors, and hillside agricultural machinery. The competition timeline includes launch, expert nomination, submission deadline (31 October), preliminary evaluation (mid-November), second-round evaluation (late December), and final evaluation with awards ceremony (March–April 2027).
