The Salão Design Award is constantly evolving to connect history and innovation, talent and opportunity. After a strategic rebranding, Brazil’s leading furniture design award presents new categories and additional prizes in its 27th edition, reinforcing its commitment to fostering the development of the sector. Submissions will be accepted from January 27 to March 27, 2026, through the website salaodesign.com.br.
The major highlight lies in the categories, now structured around eight product typologies: Seating (chairs, benches, stools); Lounging (beds, sofas, armchairs, ottomans); Socializing (dining tables, sideboards, counters); Working (desks, office chairs, shelving units); Industrializing (custom or mass-produced furniture that uses engineered wood panels—MDP or MDF—with low-pressure melamine coating in its structure); Repurposing (furniture that incorporates materials with some level of sustainable responsibility); Recognizing (furniture that uses materials with recognized social, cultural, or ethnic responsibility); and Complementary (room dividers, TV stands, bedside tables, coat racks, recamiers). The full set of rules, including specifications, dates, deadlines, and additional information, is also available on the website.
Held since 1988 by the Furniture Industries Union of Bento Gonçalves (Sindmóveis), the Salão Design Award has nearly 40 years of commitment to promoting furniture design. The award’s director, Priscila Manfroi, explains that the new features of the 27th edition are designed to better align the competition with the times we are living in. “The Award has gone through several changes over the years, always adapting to different periods in order to engage with the realities of designers and industries. The new categories and special prizes clearly reflect this ongoing movement,” she emphasizes.
Over 26 editions, the award has received more than 16,500 project submissions from professionals and students across 39 countries. In addition to helping document the history and evolution of furniture design, the competition recognizes talent and encourages continuous innovation in the furniture sector—from the choice of raw materials and manufacturing methods to design aesthetics, sustainability, and cultural appreciation.
EVALUATION AND AWARDS
Projects will be evaluated in two stages. In the first stage, five jurors will assess the submissions remotely. Those selected for the second stage will be considered finalists and will be eligible for an in-person evaluation by another panel of five jurors. Winners will be announced on July 21, 2026, and the exhibition of finalist and award-winning products will take place during the Movelsul Brasil trade fair, from August 17 to 20, in Bento Gonçalves, Rio Grande do Sul.
In total, the jury may grant up to 32 awards, including prizes and honorable mentions. In addition to cash prizes (for winners only), awardees will receive a trophy, an award seal, a participation certificate, and promotion of their product in the edition’s catalog, on Salão Design’s social media channels, and in the press. Awarded students will receive an additional incentive: online mentoring with a member of the jury.
MORE SPECIAL AWARDS
Up to 10 special awards further enhance the competition’s appeal. These include the People’s Choice Award, which involves public voting; the Advising Professor Award; and the Alternative Woods Award (a partnership with the Forest Products Laboratory of the Brazilian Forest Service, which includes a trip to a sustainable forest management area and to the LPF headquarters in Brasília). New additions in this edition include: the Product Family Award (for entries featuring at least two items from the same product line); the Artisanal Manufacturing Award (for projects that use techniques, material sourcing, or production systems combining manual labor, craftsmanship, and industrial processes); Outstanding Student; Emerging Professional Award; and the Design RS Award (which grants a place in the Milan Mission 2027, organized by Sebrae RS).
SALÃO DESIGN AWARD
Organized by: Furniture Industry Association of Bento Gonçalves
Edition: 27th
Master Sponsor: Interprint
Standard Sponsor: Akeo
Special Sponsor: Renna
