17th WOLDA Worldwide Logo Design Award

WOLDA, the Worldwide Logo Design Award, is an international competition dedicated entirely to logos and the identity systems built around them. It was founded in Milan in 2006 and is now run from Germany by the International Editorial Design & Research Forum, the same independent organisation behind the ICMA awards for editorial and book design. The seventeenth edition is open until 20 October 2026.

Most design awards treat the logo as one category among many. WOLDA does the opposite. Every one of its seven categories looks at identity in some form: a brand-new mark, a redesign, an animated or sound logo, a flexible system, a complete corporate identity, an identity with its own typeface, or the way a logo works on packaging. That focus makes it a useful benchmark for branding studios and a realistic international award for students, who can enter coursework at half price.

The competition is funded entirely by entry fees and judged by an international jury of identity and packaging specialists, many of them previous WOLDA winners. Since 2025 the award has also returned to publishing a printed yearbook of winning work.

Who Can Enter WOLDA?

The competition is open worldwide to graphic designers, branding agencies, design studios and in-house teams. Work created as part of a course of study, such as university projects, can also be entered, at half the regular fee.

All work must have been created between 1 January 2024 and 30 September 2026.

It is particularly relevant to:

• Branding agencies and identity studios
• Freelance graphic designers
• In-house design teams at companies and institutions
• Packaging designers who work closely with brand marks
• Design students with identity projects

What Can You Enter?

WOLDA has seven categories.

Logo New

A newly created logo for a company, product, organisation, event or person.

Logo Redesign

A refreshed or redrawn version of an existing logo. Showing the old and new versions side by side is essential.

Animated Logo, Sound Logo

Logos designed to move or to be heard, such as animated idents, motion marks and sonic logos.

Flexible Logo, Flexible Identity

Identity systems that change according to context, content or audience, while staying recognisable.

Corporate Identity

Complete identity systems: logo, colours, typography, imagery and their application across materials.

Corporate Identity with Custom Typefaces

Identity systems built around a typeface designed specifically for the brand.

Logo and Packaging

Logos shown in their application on packaging, where the mark and the pack work together.

Entry Fees

Categories 1–2 (logo new and logo redesign):

• Early bird: €60
• Regular: €80
• Late: €100

Categories 3–7 (animated, flexible, identity and packaging):

• Early bird: €160
• Regular: €180
• Late: €200

Student work produced as part of a course pays half the regular fee. Entrants who submit six or more entries receive a 20% discount.

What Do Selected Entrants Receive?

The jury awards Gold, Silver and Bronze, Awards of Excellence for outstanding individual work, and a Best of Show for the strongest entry overall.

• A free PDF certificate in DIN A3 size
• Publication of winning work on the WOLDA website and social media channels
• Inclusion in the printed yearbook, which WOLDA has published again since 2025
• Optional Plexiglas trophies, about 15 × 20 cm, at €120 each plus shipping

WOLDA does not award prize money; its value lies in recognition and publication.

Submission Requirements

Entries are uploaded as PDF files through the WOLDA upload portal.

File Specifications

• Horizontal PDF in DIN A4 or US letter format, up to 10–15 MB per file
• Categories 1–2: up to two pages per entry
• Category 3: a PDF plus a separate video or audio file
• Categories 5–7: between three and twenty pages per entry
• Keep content at least 15 mm from the page edges

Description

Each entry needs a short description in English of up to 550 characters, including the year the design was created.

Important Rules

• Work must have been created between 1 January 2024 and 30 September 2026.
• You must be the author of the work or have permission to enter it.
• Fees depend on the category and on the period in which you submit.
• The jury's decision is final.

When Will Entrants Be Notified?

Jury members score each entry, and the entries with the most points win. The jury judges three things: whether the idea is original and relevant, whether the design communicates the identity of the client clearly, and whether the execution is excellent. According to the organisers, the scores of the winners are often very close.

Results are sent by email around 30 November 2026, roughly six weeks after the final deadline. PDF certificates follow at the end of January 2027.

Things to Consider

• Show the logo at work. A mark on a white page tells the jury little. Add applications on signage, screens, print or packaging.
• Use the page limits wisely. Two pages for a logo means every image must count; put the strongest view first.
• Write a sharp description. In 550 characters, explain the client, the brief and the idea. Skip general design theory.
• Pick the right category. A redesign entered as a new logo loses the before-and-after story that makes it convincing.
• Combine entries for the discount. Studios entering six or more projects save 20%.
• Students should take part. At half price, WOLDA is one of the more affordable international identity awards.

Enter the Competition

Interested in submitting your work?

Enter the 17th WOLDA Worldwide Logo Design Award

For the complete rules, category details and the upload portal, visit the official WOLDA website.

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

Last verified: October 2, 2026