Ireland’s leading contemporary design projects nominated for inaugural Irish Design Excellence Award (IDEA) as part of Irish Design Week 2026
The IDEA Awards celebrate design projects from across multiple disciplines, from architecture, and product design, to craft, graphics, digital experiences and service design. The awards include the IDEA Jury Prize of €15,000 for best design and the IDEA National Collection Acquisition by the National Museum of Ireland worth up to €10,000.
Design & Crafts Council Ireland (DCCI), in partnership with the National Museum of Ireland (Museum), has today revealed the projects nominated for the inaugural Irish Design Excellence Award (IDEA), celebrating the breadth, quality and cultural significance of contemporary Irish design, as part of Irish Design Week (IDW) 2026.
The new awards initiative, which will take place at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny, on November 7, brings together projects nominated by leading Irish design organisation recognising work that demonstrates design excellence, innovation, impact and contemporary relevance. The winning creative project of the IDEA Jury Prize will receive a prize fund of €15,000. The IDEA National Collection Acquisition will be awarded by the National Museum of Ireland with a purchase fund of up to €10,000.
The shortlisted projects are:
- Oscar-nominated short film Retirement Plan, directed by John Kelly;
- Internationally acclaimed architecture project Backpacking Housing, by Superposition;
- Visually stimulating exhibition The Intelligence Garden, an immersive visual storytelling digital installation, originally displayed at the Outernet, London
- Tapestry of Ireland, a visual representation capturing everyday Irish life, by artist Eileen McNulty
- All Ways Home, a short illustrated film by Alan Dunne, released to mark the launch of EIRSAT-1, Ireland’s first space mission;
- Mega Dreoilín, a video game created by Namaco, holding a mirror up to society’s increasing housing crisis.
- A selection of poems by acclaimed artist, filmmaker and poet Paul Yates MCMLXVII-MMXXIII
- EquiMetrics and Frontend.com’s “S-PRO”, a wearable technology platform designed to give racehorse trainers insights into performance, fitness and recovery.
- Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant, by Clancy Moore Architects.
From architecture and product design to graphics, advertising to digital experiences, and service design, the exhibition offers a unique snapshot of contemporary Irish creativity, showcasing the extraordinary breadth and depth of Ireland’s creative sector on the world stage.
Announcing the shortlist, Mary Blanchfield, CEO of Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said: “Today marks a significant step in recognising Ireland’s talent, expertise and craftsmanship. With the introduction of the IDEA award, we hope to encourage designers, makers and creatives to continue pushing boundaries, innovate and challenge the world around us. The standard of submissions for the inaugural award was exceptional, setting the bar remarkably high. Design & Crafts Council is proud to support an initiative that ensures Irish design is both celebrated and recognised. Congratulations to all nominated projects.”
Dónal Maguire, Keeper of the Art and Industrial Division at the National Museum of Ireland, said: “The National Museum of Ireland, Collins Bararcks, is proud to partner with DCCI and to recognise and celebrate Irish design in its diverse forms and functions. The Museum’s collections reflect the creativity, craft and innovation that has shaped Ireland’s design heritage and the IDEA awards are a unique opportunity to highlight these qualities in contemporary design practice. The Museum’s IDEA acquisitions will grow the national collection as a broader expression of human creativity and as source of inspiration to future designers.
The nominated projects will form part of the inaugural Irish Design Excellence Award Exhibition at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny, opening on 7 November as part of DCCI Irish Design Week 2026. The exhibition runs until 23 January 2027.
The winner of the IDEA award will be announced on Saturday 7th November.
Irish Design Week takes place nationwide with events open to the public from 7-14 November. The full programme and ticket information are available at www.irishdesignweek.ie.
CRÍOCH
For media queries:
DCCI
Eimear Harding, Communications & Public Affairs Manager, Design & Crafts Council Ireland [email protected] 083 023 8743
Aislinn Burke, Account Manager, The Reputations Agency [email protected] 089 492 8237
Nótaí d'Eagarthóirí
Full List of Shortlisted Projects:
- Irish Architecture Foundation
- Backpack Housing, Superposition
Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI)
- Arklow Wastewater Treatment Plant, Clancy Moore Architects
IxDA – Interaction and digital design
- Frontend.com
Imirt
- Mega Dreoilín
Eirmersive
- The Intelligence Garden – GLASSEYE
Illustrators Ireland
- All Ways Home, Alan Dunne
Animation Ireland
- Retirement Plan
CCAI
- Tapestry of Ireland
Institute of Creative Advertising and Design (ICAD)
- Paul Yates MCMLXVII Selected Poems
DCCI Irish Design Week 2026 programme highlights include:
- 7 November – Irish Design Excellence Award Exhibition, Kilkenny: Celebrating outstanding contemporary Irish design across multiple disciplines.
- 9 November – Design of Craft Conference, Dublin: Exploring authenticity, craftsmanship and human creativity in an increasingly artificial world.
- 10 November – Ireland’s Design History: From Arts and Crafts to AI, Dublin: Exploring Ireland’s design heritage and its digital future.
- 11 November – Design Futures in Heritage Craft, Dublin: Examining how traditional skills can be preserved and developed.
- 12 November – European Creative Industries Summit, Dublin: Exploring how creativity can help address Europe’s defining challenges More details about the Summit can be found at www.irishdesignweek.ie and https://failtefuture.eu/
Maidir le Seachtain Dearaidh na hÉireann DCCI
DCCI Irish Design Week is a nationwide celebration of design in all its forms. It brings designers, makers, businesses, educators, communities and international contributors together through events across Ireland. The 2026 theme, Fáilte Future Europe, draws on Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the Irish tradition of welcome. It invites people from Ireland and across Europe to exchange ideas, build relationships and explore how design can respond to the challenges shaping our shared future.
Maidir le Comhairle Dhearaidh agus Cheardaíochta na hÉireann
Design & Crafts Council Ireland is the national agency for design and craft in Ireland. DCCI supports designers and makers to develop their businesses sustainably and advocates for the economic, social and cultural value of design and craft. DCCI’s activities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment through Enterprise Ireland. DCCI currently has 68 member organisations and more than 3,500 registered clients.
Maidir le Músaem Náisiúnta na hÉireann
Founded in 1877, the Museum is a leader in preserving and promoting Ireland’s heritage across the island and the world. The Museum contributes to the collective memory and identity of all people with Irish connections, nationally and internationally, through our collections and programmes.
Museum collections comprise over four-million objects and include applied arts and design, history, Irish folklife, antiquities and natural history. Housed in a more than 300-year-old military barracks on the banks of Dublin’s River Liffey, Collins Barracks is a place to discover Irish applied arts, design and decorative arts as well as military history. These
Collections shaped life in Ireland, connected it to the wider world, and continue to surprise and inspire today
