Your road to
success starts with
your participation

• 1. Registering for the Award

•  

  On an ongoing basis, the German Design Council nominates companies that have attracted attention through effective brand work, independent projects and extraordinary campaigns. In addition, companies have the opportunity to submit projects and campaigns directly and self-initiated to the award. After a review by our expert panels, you will receive written notification from the German Design Council stating whether your project meets the required criteria and has thus been approved and nominated for participation in the German Brand Awards. In the event of non-admission, you will also receive notification and no costs will be incurred.

  The following information is requested in the »My Design Council« registration portal:

  • Brand name / project name (+ specification)
  • Description text German / English (maximum 500 characters)
  • Website, date of market launch
  • Details of company / client or agency / implementation
  • Categories and possible additional categories
  • Invoice address
  • Optional booking of the Nominee Package
  • Image of the brand / project (minimum 1, maximum 5)

  After successful registration you will receive a confirmation of the registration as well as an invoice for the registration fees. In case of an award, mandatory service fees for the services included in the benefit package will apply. For detailed information, please see pages 19 to 23.

• 2. Delivery of Submission

•  

  After successful registration, please provide us with a presentation of your project or campaign, which the jury will review and evaluate. You can find details on the content and scope of your presentation on page 19 and in your personal log-in area of »My Design Council«. Delivery of the submission for the jury session must be made by no later than 18 February 2022.

  A guide to preparing your submission can be found here.

• 3. Judging

•  

  The judging will take place at the beginning of March 2022 by an independent, interdisciplinary jury consisting of companies, science, consulting, services and agencies.

  Evaluation criteria

  Independence and brand typology › Brand distinctiveness › Differentiation from the award › Target group relevance › Homogeneity of the brand result › Design quality of the brand image › Degree of innovation › sustainability › continuity › future viability › price premium › growth › economic success

  Results

  You will receive written notification of the results of the judging by e-mail before the end of March 2022. The legal process is excluded.

• 4. Awards Ceremony and German Brand Convention

•  

  Award Show and Gala Dinner

  Every year, the German Brand Awards ceremony is attended by around 700 guests: brand decision-makers from major German companies, agencies, the creative industry, the trade press, and of course all the winners of the German Brand Awards 2022. Among many other offers, all award winners can have themselves photographed by our professional photo team with their certificate and, if applicable, award sculpture. The pictures will be made available the following day. During the Gala Dinner, the »Best of Best« awards will be announced as part of the stage show.

  Conference and industry meeting

  The associated German Brand Convention offers plenty of opportunity to discuss current brand management issues with selected award winners and to exchange knowledge across disciplines and industries. An ideal opportunity to make important contacts and cultivate networks. The program can be viewed online from the end of May 2022.

Disciplines
and categories

• Categories of »Excellent Brands«

• Banking & Financial Services

  e.g. banks, building societies, credit card companies, leasing companies

• Beauty & Care

  e.g. body care, cosmetics, wellness, hygienie

• Building & Elements

  e.g. Smart Home, building management, building materials, window and door manufacturers, construction elements, insulating material producers

• Chemical Industry

  e.g. fine chemicals, specialty chemicals

• Consumer Electronics

  e.g. entertainment electronics, TV, audio, video, photo

• Corporate Services

  e.g. business and personnel consulting, tax consulting, lawyers, security services

• Culture & Concerts

  e.g. orchestras, theatres, museums, theaters, shows

• Education & Research

  e.g. schools, universities, kindergartens, research institutes, foundations, other educational institutions private or public

• Fashion

  e.g. clothing, shoes, accessories, bags and luggage

• Fast Moving Consumer Goods

  e.g. food, beverages, drugstore items

• Health & Pharmaceuticals

  e.g. hospitals, nursing homes, health services, medical technology and medical products, pharmaceuticals 

• Heating & Bathroom

  e.g. heating, air-conditioning and energy technology, bathrooms and sanitary facilities

• Industry, Machines & Engineering

  e.g. industry 4.0, machinery & plant construction, machine tools, industrial components, construction machinery

• Insurance

  e.g. insurance companies, statutory health insurance funds, insurance brokers

• Interior & Living

  e.g. furniture, home textiles, floor coverings, garden furniture

• Kids & Toys

  e.g. games, toys, children's products, art and craft supplies, musical instruments

• Kitchen & Household Appliances

  e.g. kitchen appliances, cleaning equipment, robots

• Lighting

  e.g. lighting, illuminants, lighting technology

• Logistics & Infrastructure

  e.g. utilities, power generators, logistics service providers, cable network providers

• Luxury

  e.g. luxury articles, jewellery, watches 

• Media & Entertainment

  e.g. media companies, publishers, news portals, newspapers, magazines, TV/digital broadcast brands, TV/radio stations

• Non-Governmental Organisation & Public Affairs

  e.g. non-profit institutions, foundations, associations, city brands, regional brands, parties

• Office & Stationery

  e.g. paper, office supplies, stationery

• Sports & Outdoor Goods

  e.g. sports equipment and products, sportswear

• Sports Associations & Sporting Clubs

  e.g. associations, clubs, leagues incl. e-sports, championships, tournaments

• Telecommunications & IT

  e.g. telecommunications companies, Hardware and software manufacturers, cloud solution providers, IT service providers

• Tool & Gardening

  e.g. tools, garden tools

• Tourism

  e.g. hotels, tour operators, airlines, travel marketer

• Trade Fairs & Event Locations

  e.g. trade fair companies, arenas, stadiums & venues

• Trade, Retail & e-Commerce

  e.g. food retailing, fashion chains, web shops, comparison portals

• Transport & Mobility

  e.g. automobility, electromobility, mobility service provider

• ___________________________________________

• Additional categories

• »Brand Innovation of the Year«

  Best brand innovation

• »Corporate Brand of the Year«

  Best corporate brand

• »Digital Brand of the Year«

  best digital brand

• »Employer Brand of the Year«

  Best employer brand

• »Newcomer Brand of the Year«

  Best start-up

• »Product Brand of the Year«

  Best product brand

• »Service Brand of the Year«

  Best service brand

• »Sustainable Brand of the Year«

  Most sustainable brand

• Categories of »Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation«

• Brand Behaviour

  e.g. behaviour guidelines, employee programs, corporate fashion collections

• Acustic & Sensoric branding

  e.g. audio logos, sound logos, sound worlds, earcons, corporate songs

• Ambient Media & Outdoor Advertising

  e.g. poster campaigns, outdoor installations, special advertising formats in urban living space

• Architecture & Buildings

  e.g. brand-typical architecture of company buildings like branches, headquarters, campuses

• Brand Events

  e.g. company anniversaries, launch events

• Dialogue & CRM

  e.g. CRM programs, mailings off- and online, integrated dialog campaigns, direct marketing activities

• Digital solutions & Apps

  e.g. digital applications, apps

• Fairs & Exhibitions

  e.g. exhibition stands, pop-up stores, brand experience centres

• Guerilla Marketing

  e.g. unconventional staging or placement of the advertising message

• Influencer Marketing

  e.g. sponsored posts, co-creation, channel takeover, product testing

• Classic Campaign

  e.g. mainly analog campaigns, print, OOH, TV, radio

• 360° Campaign

  e.g. cross-channel, holistically implemented campaigns for brand or product communication

• Digital Campaign

  e.g. mainly digitally implemented campaigns, social media, banners, VoD

• Intranet & Collaboration

  e.g. intranet portals, collaboration platforms, forums and blogs

• Movies, Commercials & Virals

  e.g. corporate films, image films, TV commercials, virals

• Online shop

  e.g. online stores, online configurators

• Point of Sale

  e.g. promotional measures in retail, flagship stores, digital showrooms, franchise systems

• Print

  e.g. advertising campaigns, annual reports, yearbooks

• Public Relations

  e.g. press conferences & events, press dialog & tools

• Social Media

  e.g. activities and campaigns for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat

• Storytelling & Content Marketing

  e.g. magazines, blogs, podcasts, tutorials

• User experience

  e.g. holistic user experiences, user-friendliness of products, websites, e-shops

• Web & Mobile

  e.g. corporate or product websites, microsites, portals

• Corporate Brand

  e.g. corporate design for corporate brands

• Packaging

  e.g. innovative use of materials, differentiated design

• Product Brand

  e.g. corporate design for product brands

• Product Design

  e.g. brand-typical product design in shape, colour and/or handling

• Brand Digitalization

  e.g. augmented / virtual reality, branded service digitalizations

• Brand Innovation & New Business Models

  e.g. digital business models, disruptive approaches, new product launches

• Brand Strategy > B2B

  e.g. brand portfolio, brand architecture, brand positioning, brand cooperation strategies, brand controlling

• Brand Strategy > B2C

  e.g. brand portfolio, brand architecture, brand positioning, brand cooperation strategies, brand controlling

• Branded Activities During Covid 19

  e.g. cooperation with companies or organizations, sensitization and/or support of the population

• Branded Corporate Social Responsibility

  e.g. social commitment, climate protection, educational work

• Employer Branding Activities & Campaigns

  e.g. employer marketing, employer brand campaigns and events

• Internal Branding & Brand Academies

  e.g. brand academies, internal brand mediation concepts, internal communication, e-learning offers

• ___________________________________________

• Additional categories

• »Brand Revival of the Year«

  Best brand relaunch

• »Brand Experience of the Year«

  Best brand experience

• »Brand Impact of the Year«

  Project with the greatest impact

• »Lighthouse Project of the Year«

  Project with the greatest radiance

• »Brand Efficiency of the Year«

  Project with best cost effectiveness ratio

• »Brand Innovation of the Year«

  Best Brand Innovation

• »Brand Strategy of the Year«

  Best Brand Strategy