Hong Kong Design Summit cum BDA Brand Award 2026 Celebrates Design Excellence, AI Innovation, and Cross-Sector Collaboration
- Written by: Telegraph Magazine
The Summit was honored to have Miss Yvonne Ip, Acting Commissioner for Cultural and Creative Industries, as the Guest of Honour. In her address, Miss Ip highlighted the power of design to drive business growth and emphasized that the Hong Kong Design Summit, now in its third year, has become a key platform for industry exchange and collaboration, bringing design talent and enterprises together through flagship initiatives like DesignMatch, to turn creative ideas into commercial results. The Hong Kong Designers Association has been a pioneering force in the local design ecosystem for half a century, and CCIDA is proud to partner with HKDA to nurture design professionals, accelerate industrialization, and help local enterprises expand into international markets — advancing Hong Kong's creative economy together.
Chairman's Welcome: Driving Real Impact Through Strategic Focus
Opening the evening gala, Ms. Mui Kinoshita, Chairman of HKDA, delivered a heartfelt welcoming address reflecting on the Association's post-pandemic transformation and strategic vision.
Reflecting on the Association's post-pandemic vision, Ms. Kinoshita highlighted HKDA's core strategy—"Two Awards, One Summit, One Platform"—designed to deliver tangible benefits by recognising individual design excellence, honoring corporate design investment, and driving commercial partnerships through DesignMatch. She celebrated HKDA's expansion from 900 to over 1,300 members, calling it a testament to industry trust. Honoring the Association's 50-year legacy, she paid tribute to founding pioneers whose dedication laid the foundation for Hong Kong's creative sector. She concluded with a passionate call for open dialogue and unified collaboration to build a stronger, more caring design industry for the next generation.
Star-Studded Gathering of Design Icons and Industry Leaders
The Gala Dinner was anchored by an extraordinary gathering of creative heavyweights, founding pioneers, and distinguished guests across the design, creative sectors, and corporate leaders. Joining Guest of Honour Miss Yvonne Ip and Officiating Guests, including Dr. Kan Tai-Keung, SBS, BBS, Former Chairman of HKDA (Tenure: 1986, 1987, 1988), Mr. Steve Leung, BBS, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre, Mr. Alan Cheung, MH, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Council, Federation of Hong Kong Industries, Mr. Kevin Yeung, Chairman of Hong Kong Fashion Designers Association, were celebrated global design icons and industry leaders who attended in strong support of the Summit, including Ms. Vivienne Tam, Designer and Founder, Vivienne Tam Fashion House, Mr. Tino Kwan, Founder and Principal Consultant of the Tino Kwan Lighting Consultants Limited, and Mr. Gu Wei, Head of AIGC Design Business, Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group. The evening was further graced by prominent design masters, industry executives, and organisational representatives. Their presence, alongside premier corporate partners and judging leaders, underscored the unified strength and collective vision of Hong Kong's creative community.
The annual event unfolds in two key segments: the Hong Kong Design Summit, featuring the Kick-off Ceremony, DesignMatch business matching, and a landmark MOU signing; followed by the BDA Brand Award 2026 Presentation Ceremony.
Hong Kong Design Summit 2026
The opening segment convenes industry leaders and creative professionals to foster commercial growth and educational innovation:
1. DesignMatch Business Matching Sessions: An exclusive, high-impact B2B networking initiative designed to bridge corporations and design professionals, driving immediate business opportunities and accelerating the translation of creative capital into commercial success.
2. Award-Winning Brands Showcase: A curated, high-visibility showcase where outstanding design firms and corporate awardees demonstrate successful project outcomes and share strategic market insights.
3. Strategic Tripartite MOU Signing: A milestone collaboration between School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Alibaba International Design, and Hong Kong Designers Association. The parties intend to explore opportunities for collaborative initiatives in design and AI-related education in the creative industry, as well as strategic collaboration for industry development across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Key potential areas of collaboration include:
A) Joint development and delivery of academic and professional training courses (with AI courses as the initial program collaboration);
B) Industry–academia partnerships to foster design-tech innovation and applied research;
C) Co-organisation of training courses, flagship events, forums, and summits to promote design excellence and cross-sector collaboration.
BDA Brand Award 2026 Presentation Ceremony
The second part of the event highlights design leadership and commercial results through an elite evening program, the BDA Brand Award 2026 Presentation Ceremony. An elite gathering celebrating outstanding brand design applications and recognizing excellence across diverse industries. This year's competition attracted 150 brand entries from diverse industries, further solidifying BDA's authoritative position as one of Hong Kong's top brand awards. The BDA Brand Award invites nominations from professional designers or organizations, with submissions evaluated by a panel of experts based on three aspects: brand story, development, and achievements. Additionally, five assessment criteria are considered: 1) Environmental & Social Impact, 2) Cultural Impact, 3) Innovation & Technology, 4) Brand Image, Identity & User Experience and 5) Market Performance & Value.
The awards celebrated winners across multiple categories, including 1) Best Branding Image Award, 2) Best Cultural & Heritage Award, 3) Best ESG Award, 4) Best Innovation & Technology Award, 5) Best Media & Communication Award, as well as Best Award, Grand Award, and the prestigious Best of the Best Award.
A professional jury panel comprised of esteemed first-round judges—Prof Anthony Kong (Assistant Professor, School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University), Mr. Kirin Leung (Founder, Kirin+lab), Mr. Joe Wong (Founder, Joe Wong Design), Mr. Kenny Li (Founder, FM+ Concepts & FAVEbyKennyLi), and Mr. Jay Leung (Founder, Starz Group) as well as final-round judges—Ms. Mui Kinoshita (Chairman, HKDA), Prof. Viveca Chan (Founder and Chairman, WE Marketing Group), Ms. Hilda Chan (Chief Marketing Officer, HKSTP), Mr. Bosco Leung (Social Responsibility Lead, MTR Corporation Limited), and Mr. Jimmy Li (Head of Brand Partnership, Harvey Nichols Hong Kong). The judges meticulously assessed submissions through a rigorous process, including an initial online evaluation and live presentations.
From a pool of 150 exceptional brand entries, the jury evaluated each brand's overall excellence, market impact, and alignment with the selection criteria in their respective fields. It is with great pleasure that we announce Sino Group「GoCircular」as the winner of the Best of the Best Award and fwah! as the winner of the Best of the Best Award (Startups). These brands have demonstrated unparalleled excellence, and their selection as winners is a testament to their outstanding achievements.
Additionally, 14 outstanding brands have been recognized with the Grand Award, including (in alphabetical order)
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
The full winner list of BDA Brand Award 2026 is listed on Appendix A.
Fostering Strategic Synergies and Future Growth
The 2026 Summit reinforces HKDA's commitment to elevating design as a core commercial driver while empowering the next generation of designers through AI-driven education and regional integration. Through structured business matching, strategic academia-industry partnerships, and award recognition, the event continues to solidify Hong Kong's position as a premier global hub for commercial design innovation.
For more details on the event and program updates, please visit the official website at https://www.hkda.hk/
Appendix A - BDA Brand Award 2026 Winners (*in Alphabetical order)
Corporate – Best of the Best
| 1. Sino Group「GoCircular」 |
Corporate – Grand Award of the Year
| 1. a²CIRCLE x TENKA TAIHEI | 2. 骨子裡 Bone Studio |
| 3. BrainX | 4. Cohere Design 柏納遨天 |
| 5. Gridword Communications Ltd | 6. HKUST International Summer Campus |
| 7. Jumbo Kingdom – Tai Pak Floating Restaurant | 8. Leo Paper Group |
| 9. LOUDER | 10. Mini Greeny Heroes |
| 11. Tiger Circle | |
Corporate – Best Award
| 1. Broken Fingers+ | 2. Dance Nefertiti |
| 3. LYYH Studio | 4. Medium.Asia |
| 5. Valta Pro | |
Corporate – Best Innovation & Technology Award
| 1. Mercury Technology Solution |
Corporate – Best ESG Award
| 1. Shanghai Industrial Holdings Limited 上海實業控股有限公司 | 2. Surplus Pork Belly Upcycling by Tam Jai Int'l |
Corporate – Best Media & Communication Award
| 1. Gridword Communications Ltd |
Corporate – Best Cultural & Heritage Award
| 1. Artrio |
Corporate – Best Branding Image Award
| 1. CAMEL 駱駝牌 | 2. 广州白云站 |
Startups – Best of the Best
| 1. Fwah! |
Startups – Grand Award of the Year
| 1. DCH Living大昌行生活 | 2. 伊裳ISABELLE.C |
| 3. The Living Art | |
Startups – Best Award
| 1. ALPHA WORKS | 2. EAMUS |
| 3. JLE Creative Limited | 4. PARTYDAY |
| 5. Queenie's Studio by Queenie Jia | 6. 睿合思盛文化傳媒有限公司 |
| 7. Seehow Design | |
Startups – Best Innovation & Technology Award
| 1. ALPHA WORKS | 2. Dr. Onycure 灰甲博士 |
| 3. ESG VISA – The Global Passport for Sustainable Business | 4. PARTYDAY |
| 5. Silver Innovation | 6. Starry Learning |
| 7. Xinera by FoodTrack |
Startups – Best ESG Award
| 1. ESG Visa |
Startups – Best Cultural & Heritage Award
| 1. Tu by Tu |
Startups – Best Branding Image Award
| 1. Excelsior interior design limited | 2. EyeComfi |
| 3. LegalOne Global Limited | 4. 非遺美食 INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE FOOD |
| 5. Renovation Guide Consultant Limited | 6. Ripple & Co. |
Hashtag: #HKDA #BDABrandAward #BDA品牌大獎
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA)
Established in 1972, the Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA) was the first of its kind in Hong Kong and is a founding member of the Hong Kong Design Centre. Its core mission is to promote design's public interest, cultivate young designers, and elevate the professional status of practising designers across sectors.
HKDA's flagship programmes include the Global Design Award (GDA) (formerly known as Asia Design Awards), which has been celebrating outstanding global designs biennially since 1975; the Hong Kong International Poster Triennial (HKIPT), which has been documented the development of local and international poster design through competition, exhibition and symposium since 2000; the Sponsorship for International Design Awards (SIDA), a distinguished funding scheme for local designers and design-applying enterprises who are winners of international design awards, which has been running since 2011; Design X Technology (DXT), a progressive programme that integrates design and technology as core components in business strategy to drive innovation and competitive advantage since 2020; and BDA Brand Award (BDA) (formerly known as BDA Brand Design Awards), this award evaluates outstanding brand performance through a professional design lens, honoring long-term strategic commitment to design excellence, and was debuted in 2023, also other strategic initiatives including the Hong Kong Design Summit and the DesignMatch business matching programme connect design professionals directly with market demand across government, commercial, and industrial sectors.
With over 1,300 individuals and corporations in its diverse membership base, HKDA offers a wide range of membership options for professionals, associates, affiliates, students, and corporations that cover six design disciplines: Graphics, Spatial, Product, Digital, Fashion, and Education. Prioritising design excellence, education, technology integration, sustainability, business support, diversity, and inclusivity, HKDA has established itself as a vital platform for its members, as well as designers, businesses, and organisations throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Through its commitment to advancing these key areas, HKDA provides valuable resources, networking opportunities, and expert guidance to its members while also serving as a hub for innovation and collaboration in the design industry.
HKDA is committed to raising public awareness of the value and importance of design in society. It partners and collaborates with other design organisations and institutions worldwide, such as the World Design Organization (WDO) and International Council of Design (ico-D), to promote global design excellence, cultural diversity, and international design exchanges. By working with other design organisations on a global scale, HKDA aims to contribute to the development and advancement of the design industry, both locally and internationally.
