Setting its debut ceremony for later this year, the Africa International Design Awards (AIDA Awards) officially launched in 2025 in Cotonou as a new global platform celebrating African design across four key disciplines: Spatial Design, Product Design, Communication Design, and Fashion Design. Founded by the 3C Awards Group, in collaboration with the Africa Design School in Benin, AIDA Awards aims to showcase innovative projects deeply rooted in African culture and dedicated to addressing the continent’s unique social, economic, and environmental challenges.
“AIDA Awards was born from a simple idea: to stand alongside Africa’s designers and help their work be seen,” said Astrid Hébert, Director of 3C Awards Group. “Together with the Africa Design School, we built this platform to honour the ingenuity already shaping the continent, ideas deeply rooted in culture, responding to real challenges, and imagining new futures. Our role is to listen, to celebrate, and to help these stories reach the audiences they deserve.”
AIDA’s jurors are a diverse, internationally acclaimed group of leaders representing expertise across disciplines and geographies. With Bibi Seck, Co-founder of Birsel + Seck, as Head of Jury, and Senegalese designers, Ousmane Mbaye of Ousmane Mbaye Design and Faty Ly, Ceramic Designer & Ceramic artist of FATYLABS, the panel brings together decades of experience in product and furniture design.
The AIDA Awards is envisioned as more than just an awards program – “a movement” to uplift African design at large. It will nurture emerging talent and underscore design’s critical role in sustainable development and social innovation. In recent years, African designers have increasingly adopted sustainable practices, utilising eco-friendly materials, traditional low-impact techniques, and local craftsmanship to drive economic development and preserve their communities’ cultural heritage. By spotlighting this work, AIDA Awards will inspire new ideas and collaborations, demonstrating how African creativity provides solutions to the continent’s challenges.
The program is open and calling for submissions until March 31st 2026, welcoming professionals, independent designers, and students alike. The launch and awards ceremony are expected to attract international press and industry attention, positioning Benin as a rising hub for African creative industries.
To enter, participants can visit africainternationaldesignawards.com to discover the full jury list, review the guidelines, register, and upload their projects.
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