India’s Best Design Awards (IBDA) has announced the winners of India’s Best Design Students 2026, recognizing outstanding young designers from leading design institutions across India and abroad.
The annual recognition celebrates emerging talent across diverse design disciplines and provides students with a national platform to showcase their creativity, innovation, and problem-solving abilities.
Since its inception in 2015, India’s Best Design Awards, presented by IndiDesign, has recognized excellence in both professional and academic design.
The India’s Best Design Students category aims to:
- Recognize exceptional student talent.
- Encourage innovation in design education.
- Provide national visibility to emerging designers.
- Connect students with the broader design industry.
The initiative highlights the growing strength and diversity of design education in India.
Speaking about this year’s awards, Sudhir Sharma of IndiDesign and DesignIndia emphasized that design education is about much more than technical expertise.
He said that the students recognized this year have demonstrated:
- Curiosity.
- Independent thinking.
- Discipline.
- The ability to observe and solve real-world challenges through design.
According to Sharma, these qualities will help shape the future of India’s design ecosystem.
The India’s Best Design Students 2026 list features students from some of India’s most respected design, architecture, engineering, and art institutions.
Participating institutions include:
- National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad, Assam, Bhopal, Andhra Pradesh, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Gandhinagar)
- MIT Art, Design & Technology University, Pune
- IIT Hyderabad
- IIT Jodhpur
- Delhi Technological University
- CEPT University
- Symbiosis Institute of Design
- ISDI School of Design & Innovation
- UID Gandhinagar
- Whistling Woods International
- NIFT Bhubaneswar
- RV University
- Presidency University
- Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology
- Nirma University
- And several other prestigious institutions.
The diversity of institutions reflects the expanding landscape of design education across India.
The award recipients will be felicitated during The DesignIndia Show 2026, one of India’s prominent design events.
Event Details
- Date: 29 August 2026
- Venue: The Westin, Pune
- Time: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
The event will bring together designers, educators, industry leaders, innovators, and students to celebrate creativity and explore emerging trends in design.
Established in 2015, India’s Best Design Awards (IBDA) recognizes excellence and innovation across multiple design disciplines.
The awards celebrate:
- Product Design
- Industrial Design
- Communication Design
- Architecture
- Fashion Design
- User Experience (UX)
- Interior Design
- Graphic Design
- Emerging Student Talent
Over the years, IBDA has become an important platform for promoting design excellence and encouraging innovation within India’s creative industries.
