SEOUL — The ten finalist teams of the Seoul Design Award 2026 have been ordered to move into their own projects and remain there until global public voting closes, organizers announced, converting the competition into a live-in exhibition at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza.
The finalists, chosen from over 1,200 submissions across 91 countries, will now eat, sleep, and conduct all professional correspondence inside their sustainable designs. The Otter Newborn Warmer team has been assigned a conductive warming pod, while the WheeLog! accessibility platform has been installed as a permanent fixture in the team's shared living quarters. «We simply asked ourselves what sustainability looks like when you cannot leave it,» said a nine-member jury spokesperson.
The nine-member international jury, including Mauro Porcini of Samsung Electronics and Sungwon Jee of Hyundai Motor Company, will conduct on-stage evaluations on October 14 while the finalists remain sealed inside their projects. A live feed from each installation will be projected onto the DDP facade, and the public may vote only after watching at least six continuous hours of finalist footage.
Organizers confirmed that the Reef Tiles team has been relocated to a marine installation in the East Sea, and the Lavazza Tablì capsule system now serves as the sole source of coffee for the entire conference. «The designers asked for feedback,» the spokesperson added. «We gave them residency.»