ABOUT THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS
Design Olympiads is a completely international and completely independent non-profit design evaluation and awarding program as a continuation of the historical Cultural Olympiads. Design Olympiads operates in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, industrial design, and urbanism. At the Design Olympiads, participant designs are evaluated objectively by the world's most competent jury members in terms of their positive contributions to nature and humanity. As a result of the perfect design evaluation process, the authors of the designs with the highest score in the evaluation are given the highest honorary design awards in the history of humanity.
All information about the Design Olympiads can be found below.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
BRIEF OF THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS
WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS?
History of the Olympiads dates back to the Ancient Greek era in the 700s B.C.. The Olympiads, which gradually became institutionalized over time, came to their present form in the late 1800s. In the Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden in 1912, competitions on: architecture, music, sculpture and painting arts were organized for the first time under the name of Art Olympiads. Art Olympiads, which started to be called Cultural Olympiads in time, were suspended in 1948. By 2010, a fully independent international group of designers, who have significant professional experience in the design fields they work in, started to work on reorganizing the historical Cultural Olympiads as Design Olympiads.
WHY DID THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS BEGIN TO BE REORGANIZED?
Information on why the Design Olympiads have been reorganized can be found on the "Vision and Mission" page in the "About" page.
HOW AND WHEN DID THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS BEGIN TO BE REORGANIZED?
As a continuation of the cultural heritage formed by the deep past summarized above, a fully independent international designer group, whose members have the following professional competencies, came together between 2010 - 2024 and carried out a series of studies on the reorganization of the Design Olympiads (1).
Having at least a PhD in the related design field,
Having published more than 10 articles in national and international peer reviewed journals,
Has won more than 10 awards from national and international design competitions as a design author,
Has been a jury member in more than 10 national and international design competitions,
Having more than 10 realized designs,
Having taught design courses at various universities for more than 10 years,
In those studies, the above mentioned group of designers worked as Constituent Council of the Design Olympiads (CCoDO), perfected the system of the historical Cultural Olympiads and took the responsibility of organizing the historical Cultural Olympiads as Design Olympiads beginning from 2024.
WHAT KIND OF SYSTEM DO THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS HAVE?
The Design Olympiads is a fully international and fully independent design evaluation and awarding program. In the Design Olympiads, participant designs are evaluated objectively by the utmost competent jury members in the world in terms of their positive contributions to nature and humanity. As a result of the finest design evaluation process, the highest honorary design awards in the history of humanity are given to the authors of the designs which achieved the highest scores in the evaluation.
The official language of the Design Olympiads is English. All communication and applications to the Design Olympiads will be in English using latin alphabet.
The Design Olympiads consists of a system of the following bodies:
Constitutive Council of the Design Olympiads (CCoDO) ---> Council of the Design Olympiads (CoDO)
The task of the Constitutive Council of the Design Olympiads (CCoDO) is to establish the working system of the Design Olympiads, to ensure that the system works flawlessly, and to hand over their duties over time to the members that the system will reveal instead of them.
Current CCoDO and future CoDO will mainly work in the following scopes:
To ensure Design Olympiads operates fully independently without even falling under the influence of any organization, foundation, professional chamber, institution, university or country etc.
Evaluating the feedback from the Board of Consultants (BoJ) and Board of Jurors (BoJ) and making the necessary systematic updates to make the Design Olympiads system work more precisely.
Reviewing and approving the evaluations made by the Board of Jurors (2).
Ensuring and supervising the work of the Design Olympiads Office.
Current CCoDO and future CoDO members have a 4-year term of office. After the term of any CCoDO and future CoDO member expires, the BoA member with the highest score in accordance with the criteria for determining a BoJ member gains the right to become a CoDO member. A CoDO membership offer is made to the advisor who gains the right in question. If the advisor in question does not want to undertake the duty of CoDO membership, the CoDO membership right passes to the next advisor in the score ranking. Before being appointed to CoDO membership and during the CoDO membership term, in accordance with the principle of full independence, the candidate must withdraw his / her memberships in all existing institutions, universities, foundations and organization.
Office of Design Olympiads (OoDO)
The Office of Design Olympiads (OoDO) is the body of the Design Olympiads that performs all office services of it.
Some of the tasks of the Office of Design Olympiads are listed below:
To ensure communications between all bodies of the Design Olympiads.
To ensure communication between the Design Olympiads and the public.
To make a preliminary evaluation of the design files from the competitors and to publish the designs that pass the preliminary evaluation on the Design Olympiads web page.
To prepare and send the evaluation form to the BoJ members, where the BoJ members will rate the competitors' designs.
To submit the evaluation form in which BoJ members evaluated designs to CoDO members for final approval.
To publish the final results of the Design Olympiads.
To carry out research on the irregularity notices regarding the competitors and the jury members and to take decisions on the denunciations for which it is authorized.
To carry out the procedures related to BoJ, BoR and BoA membership applications.
To fulfill the requirements of all decisions taken by CoDO regarding the operation of the Design Olympiads.
Board of Advisors (BoA)
The Board of Advisors (BoA) consists of designers who have served as BoJ members for at least 1 term in the Design Olympiads or who have made significant contributions to the field of design they work at. It is foreseen that there will be 10 advisor members for each design field in BoA. The duties of each advisor forming the board are limited to the following:
To develop individual suggestions to ensure that the Design Olympiads system works more precisely.
The term of office of BoA members is limited to 4 years. The members of the BoJ can apply to replace the BoA member whose term of office has expired. Candidates with the highest score in accordance with the BoJ member determination criteria will be appointed to the BoA in accordance with the quotas specified above.
The following documents are required for BoA membership:
Web links of works related to design competitions and award programs in the relevant design field (Related works can be one of the followings: papers in journals, taking part in panels, masters and doctorates theses, etc)
Biography not exceeding 500 words
Personal photo (size: 600 pixels x 600 pixels, file naming template: Name Middlename Surname.jpg)
Letter of intent not exceeding 500 words
Designers who meet the terms of BoA membership and want to be Advisors of the Design Olympiads can apply with the above documents they have prepared from the 'Become Advisor' link under the 'Board of Advisors' page.
Applications for the BoA membership will be reviewed and evaluated by the Constitutive Council of the Design Olympiads (CCoDO).
Board of Representatives (BoR)
Members of the Board of Representatives (BoR) consist of designers who make efforts to increase qualified designs in general in the countries they are in, believe that fair-play should be in all areas of life, and make efforts to spread fair-play in the design field. It is aimed to represent each of the different cultures and languages spoken in the world in the Board of Representatives (BoR). For this, a quota of 5-10 members has been determined for each design area on the basis of the population of the continents and the amount of languages spoken on the continents. It is sufficient to have an affiliation in the design department of any university for membership in the Board of Representatives.
The duties of the Members of the Board of Representatives are limited to the following:
Promoting and representing the Design Olympiads in the geography where the languages they speak are effective. In this context, providing news in local and international design media in order to inform the designers and the society in general that the Design Olympiads has started to be reorganized, what kind of system it has, how to participate and similar issues.
Sending the links of the news about the Design Olympiads in the local and international media to the Design Olympiads Office.
Conveying feedback from the general public and local designers to the Design Olympiads Office to make the system work better.
Transferring the experiences gained during their tenure to the Design Olympiads Office in order to make the system work better.
The term of the Board of Representatives is limited to 4 years. If the representative requests it and the Design Olympiads Office determines that the relevant representative is performing his / her duty in accordance with the conditions, the term of office of the relevant representative will be extended.
The following documents are required for BoR membership:
Web link showing affiliation in the design department of any university
Biography not exceeding 500 words
Personal photo (size: 600 pixels x 600 pixels, file naming template: Name Middlename Surname.jpg)
Letter of intent not exceeding 500 words
Designers who meet the terms of BoR membership and want to be representatives of the Design Olympiads in their geographies can apply with the above documents they have prepared from the 'Become a Representative' page under the 'Representatives' page.
Applications for the BoR membership will be reviewed and evaluated by the Office of Design Olympiads (OoDO). Candidates who express in their letters of intention that they will fulfill the above-mentioned duties effectively will be advantageous in the evaluation.
BoR members have the right to resign at any time, without giving any reason, by notifying the Office of Design Olympiads (OoDO) 2 weeks in advance. After leaving the task, if they wish, all information about them can be deleted from the web page of the Design Olympiads.
Board of Jurors (BoJ)
In the Design Olympiads, a jury determination system has been established in which the designers who make the most contribution to the design field they work in gain the right to be a member of the jury. By the help of the jury determination system, it was ensured that the most competent designers of the world were always jury members in the Design Olympiads, without anyone including CoDO members being involved in the jury selection process. Competence of the designers is measured through works they have done in academic and practical fields.
Scoring Chart for Determining the Right to Become a BoJ Member
Competence in the relevant design field, which provides the right to be a jury member, is determined based on the works done in the scope below and the points obtained from the said works.
Academic works
Having written a Ph.D.Thesis accepted and approved by the relevant authorities: 15 points
Having written a Masters Thesis accepted and approved by the relevant authorities: 10 points
Having written papers on the relevant design field in peer-reviewed international journals
being a sole author: 8 points
being the first author: 4 points
being the second author: 3 points
being the third or next author: 2 points
Having written papers on the relevant design field in peer-reviewed national journals
being a sole author: 6
being the first author: 3 points
being the second author: 2 points
being the third and next author: 1 point
Having written books
being a sole author: 8
being the first author: 4 points
being the second author: 3 points
being the third and next author: 2 points
Having written chapters in books: 1 point
Practical works
Received an award as an author in the international design competition (3), which has an anonymous and competent jury evaluation process.
being a sole author: 15
being the first among the authors: 8 points
being the second name among the authors: 7 points
being the third or next name among the authors: 6 points
Received an award as an author in the national design competition (3), which has an anonymous and competent jury evaluation process.
being a sole author: 10 points
being the first among the authors: 5 points
being the second name among the authors: 4 points
being third or next among the authors: 3 points
Having a realized design as an author
being a sole author: 8 points
being the first among the authors: 4 points
Being the second name among the authors: 3 points
being the third or next name among the authors: 2 point
Minimum requirements for BoJ Membership Application
In order to be able to apply for jury membership in the Design Olympiads, it is necessary to meet the following minimum requirements from the 'academic' and 'practical' fields in accordance with the scoring chart above:
Have fulfilled the requirements of item 1 or 2 in the 'academic' works group.
Have at least a total of 15 points from 'practical' works.
The Way to Become a BoJ Membership Candidate
The Office of Design Olympiads (OoDO) regularly conducts screenings in the design world to identify potential BoJ membership candidates. Designers who are found to meet the minimum requirements in the said scans are invited to be candidates for BoJ membership. All designers who meet the above minimum requirements can be a candidate for BoJ membership, whether they are informed about the Design Olympiads in various ways or they are invited by the OoDO.
Documents Required to Apply for BoJ Membership and Application Method
Board of Jurors (BoJ) membership applications can only be made individually via online application forms. BoJ membership candidates should upload the following information and files to the related online form.
Biography text not exceeding 500 words
Personal photo (size: 600 pixels x 600 pixels, file naming template: Name Middlename Surname.jpg)
Reference lists of academic and practical works which will be used to calculate the “evaluation score” of the candidate
In order to become a BoJ member in the relevant design field in accordance with the conditions defined above, an application can be made by clicking on the related link in the 'Become a Juror' page inside 'Jurors' page.
BoJ Membership Assignment Method
Candidates applied to the relevant design field within the scope of the above items are ranked by the system according to the 'evaluation scores' they have. The first 100 candidates with the highest 'evaluation scores' in the scoring ranking are automatically assigned as the main BoJ member by the system. According to the ranking of points, the next 100 candidates are assigned as substitute members of the BoJ.
Calculation Method of 'Evaluation Score' for BoJ Membership Candidacy
The academic and practical works of the designers who meet the minimum requirements above and applied for BoJ membership by filling out the online form will be automatically reviewed by the system. In accordance with the scoring chart above, the total academic and practical work scores of each of the candidates, resulting from their work in academic and practical fields, will be determined by the system. The lower of the candidates' total academic and practical scores will be considered as the 'evaluation score' for BoJ membership (4).
Example of 'evaluation score' calculation:
If Candidate A has a total of 15 points from academic works and 100 points from practical works, Candidate A's 'evaluation score' is accepted as 15.
If Candidate B has a total of 80 points from academic works and 20 points from practical works, Candidate B's 'evaluation score' is accepted as 20.
If Candidate C has a total of 40 points from academic works and 45 points from practical works, Candidate C's 'evaluation score' is accepted as 40.
Board of Jurors (BoJ) Membership Quotas
In the Design Olympiads, a quota of 200 members in total, consisting of 100 jurors in charge and 100 substitute jurors, has been determined for the BoJ members in each design field by the CCoDO.
Duration of BoJ Membership
BoJ membership in Design Olympiads is the most valuable task that can be undertaken in the design world. In order to ensure that designers with the highest level of academic and practical skills can undertake this task at all times, the duration of the jury membership is limited to 2 years. When the term of office of any jury member expires, the system evaluates the applicants in accordance with the above conditions, and the designer with the highest score is automatically appointed as a jury member. If the previous jury member applied again and has the enough score, the relevant former jury member is appointed as a BoJ member again.
Possible Other Positions in the Design Olympiads After BoJ Membership
Former BoJ members whose term of office has expired and do not want to apply again for BoJ membership can become members of the Board of Advisors if they wish and meet the relevant conditions, and can become CoDO members in the following process.
Conditions and Responsibilities that the BoJ Members Will Comply During Term of Office
To evaluate up to 200 designs in person within the time frame stipulated in the Design Olympiads Calendar. If, for any reason, he / she is unable to personally evaluate the designs within the stipulated time frame, to notify the Office of Design Olympiads 2 weeks in advance so that the system can replace him / her with the next highest-rated juror.
To review the names of designers participating in the Design Olympiads prior to evaluation. Informing the Office of Design Olympiads within 3 working days if he / she realizes that there is a 1st degree relative or business relationship among the participants.
To evaluate the designs participated in the Design Olympiads by adhering to the announced evaluation criterions.
To make a written explanation to the clarification requests that may come from the CoDO members regarding the personal points they have given to the designs.
To accept that the points they give to each design in accordance with the evaluation criteria can be announced in the results lists of Design Olympiads.
Not to communicate in any way with other jurors, so as not to affect the evaluations of other jurors.
Not contacting anyone within the scope of his / her duties in the Design Olympiads during his 2-year tenure.
Not to communicate in any way with the designers participating in the Design Olympiads during their 2-year tenure.
BoJ member's right to resign
BoJ members have the right to resign at any time, without giving any reason, by notifying the Office of Design Olympiads (OoDO) 2 weeks in advance. After leaving the task, if they wish, all information about them can be deleted from the web page of the Design Olympiads.
Designs Evaluation Procedure of the BoJ Members
BoJ members will evaluate designs in accordance with the above conditions and according to the following two-stage evaluation procedure:
In the first stage, BoJ members will individually analyze all the designs participating in the Design Olympiads on the Design Olympiads web page until they have mastered all the details, in accordance with the evaluation criterions listed below.
In the second and last stage, having fully analyzed all the designs that have participated, BoJ members will score each design individually using the online Evaluation Form provided to them by the Office of Design Olympiads in accordance with the conditions in the evaluation criterions.
BoJ members will apply the above explained procedure online using their personal computers in their private locations without sharing any information related their evaluations to the public.
Procedure if Board of Jurors (BoJ) Members Fail to Fulfill Any of the Above Mentioned Responsibilities and Conditions
At the Design Olympiads, it is vital that BoJ members do their job properly. BoJ members have immunity as long as they perform their duties in accordance with the above conditions, and no one, including CoDO members, may dismiss or interfere with the evaluation of BoJ members. However, if OoDO receives a notice that any of the BoJ members is not performing their duties in accordance with the above mentioned conditions, OoDO initiates an investigation against the relevant BoJ member. As a result of the investigation OoDO prepares a file on the allegations against the BoJ member in question and forwards the file to the CoDO members for consideration. CoDO members evaluate the file individually in question and vote for the final decision on the BoJ member's status. If it is determined by a simple majority that the said BoJ member does not fulfill any of the above conditions and responsibilities, the BoJ membership of the related BoJ member ends as of the day the aforementioned situation is determined. If such a situation occurs before the evaluation process of the designs, the substitute BoJ member with the highest score assumes the task of the BoJ member in question. If such a situation occurs during the evaluation period of the designs, the evaluation process of the designs continues with the exclusion of the related juror and results based on the evaluations of the other jury members. If the situation occurs after the results are announced, the scores of the excluded BoJ member is ignored and the scores of the designs are updated accordingly. The results are also updated according to the new score ranking. It is ensured that the expelled BoJ member will no longer take part in any body of the Design Olympiads.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS AS A COMPETITOR?
Requirements for Participation and Design Areas to Participate
Designers who graduated from the departments listed below with a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree can participate with their designs as a competitor in the Design Olympiads individually or as a team, in the field of design they graduated from.
Architecture
Landscape Architecture
Interior Design
Industrial Design
Urbanism & City and Region Planning
Designers who graduated from more than one department can participate as competitors with the designs they produce in all design fields they graduated from. Designer groups whose members graduated from different design fields can participate with their co-produced designs as a team in all the design fields members graduated from. With the designs that are co-produced, it is possible to participate only with the team of all the authors. It can be participated again in the following years with the designs that did not receive an award in the previous years.
Competition Categories
In the field of Architecture, it is possible to participate as a competitor with the "realized" and "unrealized" designs produced in the following categories in accordance with the conditions of participation explained above. If the design is mixed use, it must be entered as a competitor in the category of the dominant use among the all uses in the design.
Housing:
single-family houses (low-income, mansions etc) / multi-family houses / mass housing / orphanages / nursing homes for elderlys / chalets etc
Education:
day care centers / kindergartens / elementary schools / middle schools / high schools / colleges / universities etc
Healthcare:
hospitals / rehabilitation centers / treatment centers / health centers / polyclinics / spas / healing houses / thermal facilities / health dispensaries etc
Sports:
stadiums / sports halls / swimming pools / aqua parks / sports villages / sports facilities / gymnasiums / ski resorts etc
Transportation:
airports / metro stations / bus terminals / ports / marinas / multi-storey garages / fuel and gas stations etc
Culture & Art:
convention centers / cinemas / theatres / exhibition halls / operas & ballet halls / concert halls / places of worship / entertainment centers / multi-purpose meeting centers / wedding halls / libraries / conference halls / youth centers / community centers / fairs / night-clubs / discotheques / hobby & game halls / museums / children's centers / planetariums / radio & television centers etc buildings
Accommodation:
hotels / holiday villages / dormitories / motels / prisons / guesthouses / hostels / campings etc buildings
Gastronomy:
cafes / bars / restaurants / cafeterias / dining halls / refectories etc buildings
Shopping:
shopping malls / commercial centers / street markets / small and large markets / shops etc buildings
Manufacturing:
research & development centers / laboratories / radio & television stations / integrated industrial facilities / integrated agricultural industry structures / large farm structures / printing houses / small industrial facilities / workshops / foundries / cold storages / hangars / industrial structures / workshops / shipyards / slaughterhouses / pens / greenhouses / boat-houses etc buildings
Office:
offices / business centers / stock exchanges / ministries / archives / courthouses / government buildings / municipalities / administrative buildings / post offices / bank buildings / embassy structures / tax offices / gendarmerie & police stations etc buildings
Restoration:
all historical buildings
In the field of Landscape Architecture, it is possible to participate as a competitor with the "realized" and "unrealized" designs produced in the following categories in accordance with the conditions of participation explained above. If the design is mixed use, it must be entered as a competitor in the category of the dominant use among the all uses in the design.
Sparsely-built and non-urbanized natural spaces:
urban forests / natural and artificial fresh water (stagnant and flowing) assets (creek, river, dam, pond, waterfall, wetland, etc.) / urban groves and forests / nature conservation areas (national parks, green belts, land reclamations, etc.) / non-urban highway environments (slope fortifications, wind, snow and noise screenings, etc.) / non-urbanized coasts
Rural and urban periphery green spaces:
nurseries / farms / dumpsters / treatment plants / cemeteries / picnic places / hobby gardens
Small size (for neighborhoods) green spaces:
pocket parks / neighborhood parks / children's playgrounds / outdoor sports fields (soccer, baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis etc.)
Medium size (for districts) green spaces:
district parks / district sports fields (soccer, baseball, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis etc.) / healthy living spaces / amusement parks / waterfront promenade venues
Large size (for cities) green spaces:
city and regional parks / urban natural and artificial fresh water (stagnant and flowing) presence (creek, river, dam, pond, waterfall, etc.) environments / theme parks (botanical gardens, arboretums, water parks, disney parks, space parks, earthquake parks, zoos etc) / large sports venues (golf, tennis, equestrian sports, etc.)
Densely-built urban green spaces:
amphitheaters / transportation systems (boulevards, streets, intersections, medians, bridges, tunnel tops, social facilities, metro and public transport stops, rail systems) / square arrangements / market zones / pedestrian zones
Green spaces on the buildings:
green spaces within the interiors of the buildings (courtyards, atriums, etc.) / green spaces on the building envelopes (terraces, roof gardens, etc.)
In the field of Interior Design, it is possible to participate as a competitor with the "realized" and "unrealized" designs produced in the following categories in accordance with the conditions of participation explained above. If the design is mixed use, it must be entered as a competitor in the category of the dominant use among the all uses in the design.
Housing:
single-family houses (low-income, mansions etc) / multi-family houses / mass housing / orphanages / nursing homes for elderlys / chalets etc
Education:
day care centers / kindergartens / elementary schools / middle schools / high schools / colleges / universities etc
Healthcare:
hospitals / rehabilitation centers / treatment centers / health centers / polyclinics / spas / healing houses / thermal facilities / health dispensaries etc
Sports:
stadiums / sports halls / swimming pools / aqua parks / sports villages / sports facilities / gymnasiums / ski resorts etc
Transportation:
airports / metro stations / bus terminals / ports / marinas / multi-storey garages / fuel and gas stations etc
Culture & Art:
convention centers / cinemas / theatres / exhibition halls / operas & ballet halls / concert halls / places of worship / entertainment centers / multi-purpose meeting centers / wedding halls / libraries / conference halls / youth centers / community centers / fairs / night-clubs / discotheques / hobby & game halls / museums / children's centers / planetariums / radio & television centers etc buildings
Accommodation:
hotels / holiday villages / dormitories / motels / prisons / guesthouses / hostels / campings etc buildings
Gastronomy:
cafes / bars / restaurants / cafeterias / dining halls / refectories etc buildings
Shopping:
shopping malls / commercial centers / street markets / small and large markets / shops etc buildings
Manufacturing:
research & development centers / laboratories / radio & television stations / integrated industrial facilities / integrated agricultural industry structures / large farm structures / printing houses / small industrial facilities / workshops / foundries / cold storages / hangars / industrial structures / workshops / shipyards / slaughterhouses / pens / greenhouses / boat-houses etc buildings
Office:
offices / business centers / stock exchanges / ministries / archives / courthouses / government buildings / municipalities / administrative buildings / post offices / bank buildings / embassy structures / tax offices / gendarmerie & police stations etc buildings
Restoration:
all historical buildings
In the field of Industrial Design, it is possible to participate as a competitor with the "realized" and "unrealized" designs produced in the following categories in accordance with the conditions of participation explained above. If the design is mixed use, it must be entered as a competitor in the category of the dominant use among the all uses in the design.
Automotive & Transportation:
Automotive & Locomotive Exterior and Interior / Marine & Aircraft Exterior and Interior / Motorcycles / Recreational Vehicles / Bicycles / Scooters
Children’s Products:
Children’s Toys & Games / Learning Tools / Children’s Accessories / Children’s Apparel / Children’s Furniture
Commercial & Industrial Products:
Building Equipment & Systems / Heavy Machinery / Construction & Industrial Vehicles / Other Equipment or Tools
Consumer Technology (including Entertainment):
Phones and VOIP / Cell Phones, Smart Phones, PDAs / Navigation Devices / Earpieces & Headsets / Accessories / Desktops / Laptops, Notebooks, Ultra-Mobiles / Tablets / Servers & Housings / Portable Devices / Display Screens, Monitors & Projectors / Input Devices / Peripherals / Stereos, Speakers / TVs, DVD players / Headphones / Cameras & Camcorders / Personal Audio Players / Accessories & Cable Management / Home Theater / Musical Instruments / Multimedia & Gaming Equipment / Multi-Function Devices / Mobile Entertainment
Environments:
Corporate, Public & Private Spaces / Environmental Graphics & Signage Systems / Museum Exhibits & Set Designs / Showrooms & Retail Merchandising / Trade Show Exhibits / Street Lighting and Furniture
Home (including Kitchen & Bath):
Accessories / Flooring / Carpets / Décor / Bedding / Windows / Materials / Bathroom & Sanitary Furnishings / Wellness Rooms and Equipment / Control Elements and Systems / Appliances / Tableware / Utensils / Cookware / Cutlery
Furniture & Lighting (including Outdoor Furniture):
Furniture / Kitchen Furniture / Lighting / Garden & Outdoor Furniture
Lifestyle & Accessories (formerly Personal Accessories):
Apparel / Bags & Cases / Eyeglasses / Footwear / Hats / Watches
Medical & Health:
Clinical & Diagnostic Products / Industrial & Scientific Products / Surgical & Therapeutic Products / Home-Care & Self-Care Products
Office & Accessories:
Supplies & Organizers / Equipment & Fixtures / Writing Instruments / Office Furniture & Lighting
Outdoor & Gardens:
Camping / Hiking / Climbing / Scuba Diving / Gear / Helmets / Backpacks / Hydration Products / Outdoor Cooking / Pet Accessories / Garden Equipment & Tools/ Garden Lamps & Lighting / Décor / Accessories
Sports, Leisure & Recreation:
Toys & Games / Sporting, Fitness & Camping Gear / Sporting & Fitness Accessories
In the field of Urbanism & City and Regional Planning, it is possible to participate as a competitor with the "realized" and "unrealized" designs produced in the following categories in accordance with the conditions of participation explained above.
Cities
Regions
There is no limit to the number of participants in the above mentioned design fields and categories.
Information and Files Required for Participation as a Competitor
To participate in the "Design Olympiads" as a "Competitor", besides routine personal information, each designer must provide the following documents related to himself / herself, and also, to his / her design.
Personal Photo(s)
Personal photo(s) (1 photo of each team member) should be with the following file specifications:
300 pixels x 300 pixels
150 dpi
white backgrounded
saved as medium quality jpg in accordance with the naming template below (In the file name there must be one space between the first name, middle name and last name.)
Personal photo file naming template: Name Middlename Surname.jpg
Diploma(s) or Graduation Certificate(s)
Scanned copies of the original and English translated versions of the diploma or graduation certificate (diploma of each team member) showing it is graduated with at least a bachelor's degree from the same design field in which it is applied as a competitor. Scanned copies of the above mentioned diplomas or graduation certificates should have the following file specifications (if there is already in the original, there is no need for an English translation of the document in question):
should be scanned as in color, in its original size and in 150 dpi resolution
should be saved as a single PDF booklet file in accordance with the naming template below (In the file name there must be one space between the words.)
If participating as a team, the above-described PDF booklet should be prepared separately for each team member.
Diploma or Graduation Certificate file naming template: Name Middlename Surname Graduation Document.pdf
Name of the Design
Competitors’ designs will be referred to by the name provided by the competitors on the Design Olympiads web pages. The "Office of Design Olympiads” recommends that the name be chosen to be as short and concise as possible.
Design Narrative
A "Design Narrative" with no more than 500 words describing competitors' design is required. The "Design Narrative" should be the same as the "Design Narrative" used in the "A0 Design Board".
A0 Design Board (for detailed inspection)
Since the design of the competitor will be analyzed and evaluated in detail on the "A0 Design Board", it is of great importance that the “A0 Design Board” is carefully prepared in order to understand the design participating in the competition.
"A0 Design Board" Technical (file) Properties
“A0 Design Board” should have the following properties:
in horizontal orientation
in A0 (841 mm x 1189 mm) size
in 300 dpi resolution
saved as medium quality jpg in accordance with the naming template below (In the file name there must be one space between the words. The symbol "0" in "A0" is the number of zero.)
In the "A0 Design Board", the competitors are free to choose the font of the text to be used in support of the above mentioned content (provided that they are at least 12 points high). Competitors are also free to use colors to present the above mentioned content on the said board.
"A0 Design Board" naming template: Name Middlename Surname A0.jpg
(In case of participation as a team, the name of the team representative will be used in the file naming template above.)
"A0 Design Board" Content Properties for Architecture
The board should contain the following content explaining competitors' designs. In the presentation scales of the content, the competing designers are free provided that they establish logical hierarchies. The determined scales should be expressed on the board in the linear scale technique.
Design Narrative: Design Narrative should explain competitors' designs with a maximum of 500 words and be written in 12 points height.
Diagrams: Diagrams should explain design decisions.
Surrounding Plan(s): Plan(s) should explain (in different scales) how design establishes relationships with surrounding environment.
Site Plan: It should explain how design relates to its close surroundings.
Floor Plan(s): Design should be explained using horizontal plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
Section(s): Design should be explained using the vertical plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
Elevation(s): Design should be explained using external vertical plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
Perspectives or Photographs: Design should be explained using photographs or perspectives.
"A0 Design Board" Content Properties for Landscape Architecture
The board should contain the following content explaining competitors' designs. In the presentation scales of the content, the competing designers are free provided that they establish logical hierarchies. The determined scales should be expressed on the board in the linear scale technique.
Design Narrative: Design Narrative should explain competitors' designs with a maximum of 500 words and be written in 12 points height.
Diagrams: Diagrams should explain design decisions.
Surrounding Plan(s): Plan(s) should explain (in different scales) how design establishes relationships with surrounding environment.
Layout Plan: Layout Plan should explain the design and how the design relates to its closer surrounding in a horizontal plane and should have all the details required by the determined scale.
Layout Plan Section(s): Layout Plan Section(s) should explain the design and how the design relates to its close surroundings in the vertical plane(s) and those plane(s) should have all the details required by the determined scale.
System Detail(s): System detail(s) (plans, sections and elevations) should explain critical parts of the design zooming in.
Perspectives or Photographs: Design should be explained using photographs or perspectives.
"A0 Design Board" Content Properties for Interior Design
The board should contain the following content explaining competitors' designs. In the presentation scales of the content, the competing designers are free provided that they establish logical hierarchies. The determined scales should be expressed on the board in the linear scale technique.
Design Narrative: Design Narrative should explain competitors' designs with a maximum of 500 words and be written in 12 points height.
Diagrams: Diagrams should explain design decisions.
Floor Plan(s): Design should be explained using horizontal plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
Section(s): Design should be explained using the vertical plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
System Detail(s): System detail(s) (plans, sections and elevations) should explain critical parts of the design zooming in.
Perspectives or Photographs: Design should be explained using photographs or perspectives.
"A0 Design Board" Content Properties for Industrial Design
The board should contain the following content explaining competitors' designs. In the presentation scales of the content, the competing designers are free provided that they establish logical hierarchies. The determined scales should be expressed on the board in the linear scale technique.
Design Narrative: Design Narrative should explain competitors' designs with a maximum of 500 words and be written in 12 points height.
Diagrams: Diagrams should explain design decisions.
Plan(s): Design should be explained using horizontal plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
Section(s): Design should be explained using the vertical plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
System Detail(s): System detail(s) (plans, sections and elevations) should explain critical parts of the design zooming in.
Perspectives or Photographs: Design should be explained using photographs or perspectives.
"A0 Design Board" Content Properties for Urbanism & City and Regional Planning
The board should contain the following content explaining competitors' designs. In the presentation scales of the content, the competing designers are free provided that they establish logical hierarchies. The determined scales should be expressed on the board in the linear scale technique.
Design Narrative: Design Narrative should explain competitors' design with a maximum of 500 words and be written in 12 points height.
Diagrams: Diagrams should describe design decisions.
Surrounding Plan(s): Plan(s) should explain (in different scales) how design establishes relationships with surrounding environment.
Master Plan: Layout Plan should explain the design and how the design relates to its closer surrounding in a horizontal plane and should have all the details required by the determined scale.
Partial Plan(s): Partial Plan(s) should explain critical parts of the design zooming in.
Section(s) of the Partial Plans(s): Design should be explained using the vertical plane(s) having all the details required by the determined scale.
Perspectives or Photographs: Design should be explained using photographs or perspectives.
"A4 Design Board" (for varying sized previews on the web page)
The A4 Design Board must be a reduced version of the "A0 Design Board" submitted according to the file specifications below, without changing "A0 Design Board"s content.
"A0 Design Board" Technical (file) Properties
“A4 Design Board” should have the following properties:
in horizontal orientation
in A4 (210 mm x 297 mm) size
in 150 dpi resolution
saved as medium quality jpg in accordance with the naming template below (In the file name there must be one space between the words.
"A4 Design Board" naming template: Name Middlename Surname A4.jpg
(In case of participation as a team, the name of the team representative will be used in the file naming template above.)
Content Properties of "A4 Design Board"
"A4 Design Board" should be a reduced version of "A0 Design Board" to A4 size in accordance with the criteria defined above. There should be no content difference between "A4 Design Board" and "A0 Design Board".
Important note:
It is a must in the "Design Olympiads" that the "Design Submission Files" have the features and contents described above. In the "Pre-Evaluation" phase, the "Office of Design Olympiads" analyzes the "A0 Design Boards", "A4 Design Boards" and "Design Narratives" sent by the competitors in terms of the features and contents stated above. Competitors who have missing or incorrect "A0 Design Boards", "A4 Design Boards" or "Design Narratives" in terms of the content and features defined above are detected and eliminated in the "Pre-evaluation Phase". No additional time is given to the competitors to complete or correct the deficiencies and mistakes (even if they are very minor) identified in the scope above, as they will adversely affect the Olympiad Calendar and create an unfair situation among the competitors. Therefore, it is of great importance that the competitors strictly comply with the conditions described above.
Procedures Required to Participate in the Design Olympiads as a Competitor
Designers who decide to participate in the Design Olympiad of the relevant year can complete the participation process with the following steps:
First of all, they need to prepare the above-mentioned information and documents regarding the design they have decided to participate in.
Then, on the "Join as a Competitor" page, they must click on the online application form link related to the design field they want to participate in, upload the information and documents they have prepared about their designs to the relevant sections of the online form to be opened and send the form.
In order to complete the participation in the Design Olympiads as a competitor, the above-mentioned procedures must be completed within the timeframes set forth in the Design Olympiads Calendar.
The links of the above-mentioned online application forms are on the "Join as a Competitor" page.
Important note:
There will be a high level of internet traffic in the last days and hours before the participation deadline, as there will be a large number of participants from many countries around the world at the Design Olympiads. Since the Design Olympiads’ participation process will be automatically closed by the system on the deadline determined for participation, it is recommended that the participants complete the participation procedures days in advance so that they do not have any problems during the participation process.
Conditions Accepted by Competitors by Participating in Design Olympiads
Competitors should accept the following conditions in order to participate in the Design Olympiads.
General conditions list:
Complying with the "Design Olympiads Schedule".
Reviewing the names of the BoJ members prior to the application. In case of realizing that there is a 1st degree relative or an active business relationship among any of the BoJ members, not participating in the Design Olympiads in the years when the relevant BoJ member is on duty.
Participating in the Design Olympiads with the design, designed by himself / herself or by the team he / she is in.
Accepting that the design they participate in will be evaluated by the BoJ members in accordance with the criteria in the "Evaluation Conditions" and not to object to any of the evaluations of the BoJ members regarding their designs.
Accepting the disclosure of the scores given by the BoJ members in accordance with the "Evaluation Conditions" to the competitor's design in the “Results List”.
Not to communicate with the BoJ members in any way during the evaluation period defined in the “Design Olimpiads Schedule”, including directly or indirectly, in order not to affect the evaluations of the BoJ members.
Accepting the results of the Design Olympiads.
Acknowledging that the Office of Design Olympiads is the sole decision maker if any dispute arises in the process after participating in the Design Olympiads as a competitor.
Allowing the design they participated in to be published on the Design Olympiads’ website.
Regarding the Use of Personal Data to be Provided in the Application:
The information and documents to be provided by the competitors in their applications will be used in the expression of information about the competitors on the Design Olympiads' web page.
Expulsion Procedure for Competitor Violating Rules in Design Olympiads:
Fair-play is vital in the Design Olympiads. If OoDO receives a notification that any of the competitors has not acted in accordance with the conditions set out above, OoDO will initiate an investigation against the relevant competitor. If, as a result of the investigation, OoDO finds concrete evidence that the said competitor has not fulfilled any of the above conditions and responsibilities, the competitor in question will be expelled from the Design Olympiads as of the day the said situation is determined. If such a situation occurs before the results are announced, the evaluation process in the Design Olympiads continues and concludes on the designs of the other competitors. If the situation occurs after the results are announced, and the competitor involved in such a situation has received the award, the award will be canceled and the award of the competitor who was expelled will be presented to the competitor who is next in the ranking of points. The name of the expelled competitor is announced to the public by the Office of Design Olympiads and it is ensured that the relevant competitor does not take part in any organ of the Design Olympiads and is prevented from participating as a competitor in the next 2 terms.
HOW ARE DESIGNS EVALUATED IN THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS?
The designs of the competitors participating in the Design Olympiads first go through a "pre-evaluation" by OoDO in terms of format, and then a "BoJ evaluation" in terms of content. Designs that fail the "pre-evaluation" of OoDO will not be considered for the "BoJ evaluation".
Pre-evaluation Phase
In the "pre-evaluation" phase, the designs of the competitors are evaluated by the "Office of Design Olympiads" in terms of their compliance with the presentation format, all details of which are given above. The slightest non-compliance with the conditions described above is a reason for elimination in the “pre-evaluation” as it will cause an imbalance between the competitors. Designs that pass the "pre-evaluation" pass into the "BoJ evaluation" phase. The designs that do not pass the "pre-evaluation" are not published on the Design Olympiads’ website.
BoJ Evaluation Phase
BoJ members will evaluate and give points to all designs that have passed the “pre-evaluation” phase, in accordance with the conditions and procedure set forth in the section “BOJ Members' Design Evaluation Procedure” and “Evaluation Criterions”. The points awarded by BoJ members to each design will be collected by the system and the total score that each design has received from the evaluation process will come out. The designs will be ranked by the system according to the total points of the BoJ members, from the highest to the lowest points. The authors of the designs with the highest points in accordance with the ranking that will emerge will be the owners of the following awards.
Evaluation Criterions
In the Design Olympiads, designs will be analyzed in depth by BoJ members within the scope of all criterions revealed by the following question, and then evaluated and scored.
What positive contributions do competitors’ designs participating to the Design Olympiads make within the scope of following subjects?
Conservation of exhaustible natural resources
Restoration of natural balance
Increasing of people's well-being
Improvement of people's quality of life
Designs participating in the Design Olympiads will be ranked according to the inclusivity and effectiveness of their contributions in the above mentioned context.
WHAT AWARDS ARE GIVEN AT THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS?
Awards to be Given
According to the "evaluation criteria" explained above, "realized" and "unrealized" designs in each category of each design field will be ranked according to the scores given by BoJ members.
In the ranking of points:
Top 4 designs with the highest score will receive "Grand Prize".
Next 8 designs in the ranking will receive "Honorable Mention".
Next 12 designs in the ranking will receive "Citation Award".
Features of the Awards to be Given
Since the Design Olympiads is a non-profit and completely voluntary non-governmental organization, monetary awards cannot be given within the scope of the Design Olympiads. On the other hand, due to its perfection in the functioning system, the above-mentioned, invaluable and therefore the most prestigious honorary awards in humanity history, in the above mentioned design fields are given in the Design Olympiads.
Registration of the Awards to Winner Designers
Award-winner designers will be given "Digital Award Certificates" expressing the award they have won which will be able to be verified on the web page of the Design Olympiad, if requested.
WHERE AND HOW WILL THE DESIGNS BE EXHIBITED?
Award-winning and non-winning designs will be permanently exhibited on the Design Olympiads website, as long as technological developments in the world allow, in order to be recorded in history.
WHAT IS THE CALENDAR OF THE DESIGN OLYMPIADS?
The Design Olympiads is a once-a-year event with the following annual timetable:
Application acceptance for BoJ and BoR memberships: Always (5).
Evaluation of BoJ and BoR membership applications: Starts on the first day of April and ends on the last day of April.
Disclosure of new BoJ and BoR members: Will announced on the last day of April
Application acceptance for competing designers: Starts on the first day of May and ends on the last day of July.
Evaluation of designs by OoDO: Starts on the first day of the third week of August and ends on the last day of October.
Evaluation of designs by BoJ members: Starts on the first day of November and ends on the last day of November.
Checking BoJ members' evaluations by CoDO members: Starts on the first day of December and ends on the last day of December.
Announcement of results: Will announced on the last day of December
Start of the digital exhibition: Starts on the first day of January and continues forever as long as technological possibilities allow.
Calendar of the Design Olympiads operates on "(UTC) Western European Time, Greenwich Mean Time" time zone.
Footnotes:
(1) The members of the Constitutive Council of the Design Olympiads do not have deep relations and ties with any institution, organization, foundation or association, except for professional memberships at the basic level.
(2) If CoDO members reveal issues that they cannot understand in the evaluations of the BoJ members, they can request clarification from the related BoJ members regarding the issues they cannot understand. If they find the explanations from the related BoJ members sufficient, they approve the evaluations and finalize the results of the related term of the Design Olympiads. If the CoDO members do not find the explanations of the related BoJ members sufficient, they ignore the evaluations of the BoJ members whose evaluations they cannot understand and finalize the results of the related term of the Design Olympiads based on the evaluations of the remaining BoJ members.
(3) In the Design Olympiads, the awards won in the design competitions where the competent jury members evaluate the designs independently can be added to the point calculation. On the other hand, awards won by public voting or in design competitions in which incompetent jury members are present cannot be considered to the point calculation.
(4) The reason of the acceptance of the lower score in the "academic" and "practical" fields as the "evaluation score" is to ensure that the designers who have done the most work in both fields are included in the BoJ.
(5) Evaluation of applications after April 1 will be made in April of the following year.