Your road to
success starts with
your participation

• 1. Registering for the Contest

•  

  The German Design Council continuously nominates companies that have attracted attention through effective brand work and independent projects and campaigns. As a nominee, you will receive written notification, including access data, and can bindingly register your nominated project and participate via our registration portal under »My Design Council«. The publication of the project or the implementation of the campaign must not have taken place more than five years ago. Registration can take place in up to three categories and up to three additional categories.  

  In addition, companies have the opportunity to register projects and campaigns directly and at their own initiative so they can participate in the contest. Following a review by our panels of experts, the German Design Council will inform you in writing 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-approval, you will also receive notification and not incur any costs. 

  Register for the award now >>

• 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 19 February 2021.

   

• 3. Evaluation Criteria and Judging

•  

  All submissions delivered in the correct form and on time will be handed over to the jury. The criteria for evaluation by the jury are:

  • Independence and brand type
  • Brand impact
  • Differentiation from the competition
  • Target group relevance
  • Homogeneity of the brand result
  • Design quality of the brand presentation
  • Degree of innovation
  • Sustainability
  • Continuity
  • Future promise
  • Price premium
  • Growth
  • Economic success

   

  The jury is free to weight the individual criteria as it would like in the evaluation. The order does not represent any order of criteria or evaluation. You will receive written notification of the jury’s results; legal recourse is excluded.   

• 4. Awards Ceremony and German Brand Convention

•  

  The German Brand Awards 2021 will be conferred in Berlin in June 2021. At the German Brand Convention, the current brand management issues will be discussed with selected prize winners.

Contest classes
and categories

• »Excellent Brands«
• honours the best product and company brands in an industry. The categories are:

• Banking & Financial Services

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

• Beauty & Care

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

• 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

• Media & Entertainment

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

• Fashion

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

• Fast Moving Consumer Goods

  e.g. food, beverages, drugstore articles

• Tool & Gardening

  e.g. tools, garden equipment

• 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

• Leisure & Crafts

  e.g. toys, art and craft supplies, musical instruments

• 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 

• 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

• Public Affairs, City & State

  e.g. city brands, regional brands, parties

• Research and Development

  research institutes, foundations, universities

• Sports & Outdoor Goods

  e.g. sports equipment and products, sports equipment clothing

• 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

• 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

• »Excellence in Brand Strategy and Creation«
• honours the best projects in individual disciplines:

• Brand Behaviour

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

• Brand Communication – Ambient Media & Outdoor Advertising

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

• Brand Communication - Acustic & Sensoric branding

  z.B. Audio Logos, Sound Logos, Klangwelten, Earcons, Corporate Songs

• Brand Communication – Architecture & Buildings

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

• Brand Communication – Brand Events, Fairs & Exhibitions

  e.g. trade fair stands, pop-up stores, company anniversaries, brand experience centres

• Brand Communication – Dialogue & CRM

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

• Brand Communication - Digital solutions & Apps

  e.g. apps for using, controlling or accessing information about products and services

• Brand Communication - Guerilla Marketing

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

• Brand Communication – Influencer Marketing

  e.g. sponsored contributions, co-creation, channel takeovers, product tests

• Brand Communication – Integrated Campaign

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

• Brand Communication – Intranet & Collaboration

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

• Brand Communication – Movies, Commercials & Virals

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

• Brand Communication – Point of Sale

  e.g. advertising measures in retail, flagship stores, digital showrooms, franchise systems, e-shops

• Brand Communication – Print

  e.g. advertising campaigns, annual reports, yearbooks

• Brand Communication – Public Relations

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

• Brand Communication – Social Media

  e.g. social media presence, campaigns, community management, live events

• Brand Communication – Storytelling & Content Marketing

  e.g. magazines, blogs, podcasts, tutorials

• Brand Communication – User experience

  e.g. holistic customer experiences, usability of products, websites or e-shops

• Brand Communication – Web & Mobile

  e.g. company or product websites, online sales, microsites, portals

• Brand Design - Corporate Brand

  e.g. corporate design for corporate brands

• Brand Design - Packaging

  e.g. innovative use of materials, differentiated design

• Brand Design - Product Brand

  e.g. corporate design for product brands

• Brand Design - Product Design

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

• Brand Digitalization

  e.g. augmented and virtual reality, online configurators, brand-specific service digitalisations

• Brand Innovation & New Business Models

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

• Brand Strategy

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

• Branded Activities During Covid 19

  e.g. cooperation with companies or organisations, sensitisation and/or support for 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 communication 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