Dezeen promotion: designers and brands from across the globe are invited to submit applications and nominations to this year's DesignEuropa Awards.

Organised every two years by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the DesignEuropa Awards has two categories that are now open for applications and nominations: the Small and Emerging Companies Award and Industry Award.

The event, which is now in its third edition, celebrates excellence in design and design management among Registered Community Design (RCD) holders.

The RCD is a unitary intellectual property right, valid in every Member State of the EU, which offers design protection to every type of business, from multinationals to individual designers.

According to research from the EUIPO and the European Patent Office, industries that make use of design protection are responsible for supporting over 14 per cent of all employment in the EU, which comprises around 30.7 million jobs.

These companies also contribute to over two trillion euros to the EU's gross domestic product (GDP).

The DesignEuropa Awards were initiated on the back of these statistics, in order to commemorate designers and companies that bring their works to the market with the protection of the RCD.

Each design submitted for the awards must be a valid RCD holder at the time of sending the application, and must hold its validity through the selection and awards process.

Previous finalists from the past two editions include Italian housewares and kitchen utensil company Alessi, German manufacturing company Siemens and motorcycle manufacturer Ducati.

The awards also include a Lifetime Achievement Award, which is reserved for designers with a significant body of work that has been developed over the course of a career, and who has had a significant impact on the design profession.

This category is by nomination only, in order to "reflect the importance and impact of the winners in the design profession".

The Lifetime Achievement award was won by Italian automobile designer Giorgetto Giugiaro in 2016, and by German-American industrial designer Hartmut Esslinger in 2018.

The DesignEuropa Awards is judged by a jury of figures from the fields of design, business and intellectual property rights.

Winners are chosen based not just on the aesthetic value and visual appeal of their submitted designs, but also on the designs' "demonstrable impact" in the marketplace.

Applications and nominations can be made via the DesignEuropa Awards website. The application and nomination period closes on 8 May 2020.

There is no cost to apply or nominate, and entries may be submitted either on the candidate's own initiative, or by any other person, entity or institution that wishes to propose a design.

The DesignEuropa Awards 2020 ceremony will take place on 20 October 2020 in Eindhoven, during Dutch Design Week.

For further information visit the DesignEuropa Awards website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for DesignEuropa as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.