Joseph Binder Award 2027

The Joseph Binder Award 2027 is an international competition focused on graphic design and illustration, organized by designaustria. The 17th edition explores the theme “Under Pressure,” highlighting creative work produced during a period of ongoing change and challenges.

The award accepts professional and student work across a broad range of graphic design and illustration categories. A special Design Fiction category is also available for unpublished, independent, non-commercial and student projects.

The competition is open to graphic designers, illustrators, advertising agencies and design students worldwide. Eligible projects must have been published or realized in 2025 or later. There is no limit on the number of entries.

The Joseph Binder Award was established in 1996 by designaustria and is named after Austrian graphic designer and illustrator Joseph Binder. The 2027 edition is the award's 17th edition.

Who Can Enter the Joseph Binder Award 2027?

The competition is open to participants from all over the world.

It is particularly relevant to:

• Graphic designers
• Illustrators
• Advertising agencies
• Design studios
• Design students
• Independent designers
• Illustration professionals

Projects can be submitted in either Graphic Design or Illustration, with separate categories covering different disciplines.

The Design Fiction special category additionally accepts unpublished works, independent and non-commercial projects, unrealized concepts and student projects from all disciplines covered by the competition.

What Can You Enter?

The competition is divided into Graphic Design, Illustration, and two special categories.

Graphic Design

The Graphic Design section includes eight categories:

Corporate Design
Corporate identities, logos, brand guidelines, design systems and business stationery.

Communication Design
Visual communication and integrated campaigns, including advertising, brochures, leaflets, mailings, social media content, print, digital and OOH communication.

Information Design
Signage systems, exhibition design, forms, data visualization and user instructions.

Type Design
Fonts and lettering.

Poster Design
Indoor and outdoor posters of all formats and genres.

Editorial Design
Books, art and exhibition catalogs, annual reports, magazines, newspapers and digital editorial formats.

Packaging Design
Packaging graphics and labels.

Interface Design
Websites, microsites, apps, AI product interfaces, conversational and voice interfaces, AR/VR and spatial computing interfaces, newsletters and software design.

Illustration

The Illustration section includes five categories:

Book Illustration
Illustrations for children's books, fiction, poetry, nonfiction and graphic novels.

Media Illustration
Illustration for periodicals, newspapers and similar media.

Commercial Illustration
Illustration created for advertising and other commercial media.

Animated Illustration
Animated illustration for digital media, social media, websites, interactive platforms, short films and music videos.

Illustration in Miscellaneous Applications
Illustration for other communication media, game design, storyboards and similar applications.

Design Fiction

The special Design Fiction category is intended for:

• Unpublished works
• Independent projects
• Non-commercial projects
• Unrealized concepts
• Student projects

Projects from all disciplines covered by the competition can be submitted.

Henry Steiner Prize

The Henry Steiner Prize is a special award selected from all submissions. It recognizes a project that supports dialogue and connections between diverse cultural perspectives.

Entry Fees

Entry fees depend on whether the participant is a regular entrant, member of a participating design organization, or student.

First Entry

Regular: €105
Members: €79
Students: €55

Each Additional Entry

Regular: €79
Members: €59
Students: €45

Fees are subject to 20% VAT.

The Early Bird submission period offers a 10% discount on entry fees when submitting by September 25, 2026.

Members of organizations including AGD, AGI, BDG, Creative Club Austria, dba, Design Denmark, Design Luxembourg, HDD, Kuvittajat, Latvian Design Center, STGU, tga, tgm and designaustria may qualify for reduced member fees.

Nominee Fee

Projects selected by the international jury for the nominee selection are subject to a separate €360 nominee package fee, excluding 20% VAT, to cover part of the catalog and exhibition production costs.

Selected entrants receive two free copies of the catalog for each published entry and a 50% discount on additional copies.

No nominee fee is charged for Design Fiction entries.

What Do Selected Entrants Receive?

The Joseph Binder Award recognizes selected work with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards in each category, presented as trophies. The jury may also award up to three distinctions in each Graphic Design and Illustration category.

For 2027, the Design Fiction category has a total cash prize pool of €6,000, awarded to up to five outstanding projects.

Selected projects can also receive:

• Inclusion in the Joseph Binder Award catalogue
• Presentation in exhibitions
• Online publication
• Recognition during the Joseph Binder Days
• Participation in the touring exhibition for the Honored Selection

The 2027 program introduces an Honored Selection, with honored designers and illustrators presented at the April 28 exhibition opening before the final ranking is revealed at the Joseph Binder Award Show on April 29.

Submission Requirements

Entries must be registered online.

For each entry, participants must complete a separate registration form containing:

• A short project description of up to 1,000 characters
• Relevant printable images and/or videos
• Information about the team
• Client information where applicable

A maximum of 10 files can be submitted per entry. The organizers do not specify a file-size limit on the submission page.

Students must also provide confirmation of their studies.

First-Round Submission

The first round is conducted online. Projects receiving the highest scores from the jury proceed to the second round.

For nominated projects, participants will receive further instructions regarding the submission of physical examples where available.

Important Rules

Eligible work: Projects must have been published or realized in 2025 or later.

Multiple categories: Works entered in several categories must be registered separately for each category.

AI-assisted work: AI-assisted work is allowed in the regular categories, but the use of AI must be disclosed on the entry form, including the tool used and the extent of its use. The jury states that it evaluates the design idea, concept and execution contributed by the entrant.

Copyright: Entrants must hold the necessary copyright and publication rights for their submitted work and obtain permission from clients where necessary.

Nominee package: Projects selected by the jury for the nominee selection incur the €360 nominee package fee, excluding VAT, except for Design Fiction entries.

Physical submission: Projects reaching the second judging round may need to be submitted as physical examples where applicable.

When Will Entrants Be Notified?

Projects nominated by the jury for the second round are expected to be notified in December 2026. The first-round online jury takes place from November 25 to December 14, 2026.

The second judging stage takes place during the offline jury on February 4–5, 2027.

The Honored Selection will be presented at the exhibition opening on April 28, 2027, with the final ranking revealed during the Joseph Binder Award Show on April 29.

Things to Consider

Best for: Graphic designers, illustrators, design studios, advertising agencies, students and independent creatives working in graphic design or illustration.

The competition covers a particularly broad range of disciplines, from corporate identity, typography and posters to editorial, packaging, interfaces and illustration. The separate Design Fiction category also provides a submission route for independent, unpublished and unrealized projects.

One important consideration is the fee structure. The initial entry fee starts at €55 for students and €105 for regular entrants, with additional fees for further entries. Projects selected for the nominee stage generally incur a separate €360 production fee, excluding VAT. Design Fiction is exempt from this nominee fee.

The AI policy is different from many current design competitions. AI-assisted work can be submitted in the regular categories, but entrants must disclose how AI was used.

The 2027 edition also introduces a larger exhibition and recognition program, with the Honored Selection presented at the Joseph Binder Days in Vienna before the final ranking is announced.

Before entering, consider the category requirements, the initial entry fee and the additional nominee package fee that applies if your project advances to the nominee selection.

Enter the Competition

Interested in submitting your work?

Enter the Joseph Binder Award 2027

For the complete rules, category descriptions, current fees and submission process, visit the official Joseph Binder Award competition page.

Looking for more open calls? Browse all competitions and opportunities on Good Stuff Weekly.

Last verified: September 25, 2026