Mr. Surin Sunthornsanan, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Trade Promotion, said that Thailand’s goods and services must compete through creativity, innovation, quality, experience, and unique value. Design is therefore a crucial tool to help Thailand develop higher-value products and services that can sustainably grow in the global market. The future of Thai design lies not just in producing good works but in creating works that can go far and generate real value.
This year, 620 works were submitted by entrepreneurs and designers to the project, with 128 works winning the DEmark 2026 award from 107 applicants. These cover 8 design categories: Furniture, Lifestyle, Accessories & Wearable, Industrial & IoT, Packaging Design, Graphic & Communication Design, Interior Design, and System Service & Digital Platform.
Additionally, this year special awards were given to 17 works: 9 for Social Impact and 8 for Aspiring Designer. These awards highlight that design’s role extends beyond aesthetics or product form—it can address social issues, create positive impacts, and provide opportunities for emerging designers to showcase their potential. Moreover, 8 works received the Best Design award, recognized for outstanding design and creativity, and the ability to export products and services abroad. In 2025, products awarded Best Design achieved export value of approximately 121 million baht.
The Design Excellence Award (DEmark) has been held continuously since 2008 and marks its 19th year this year. The DEmark award serves as a quality certification for design that differentiates, enhances credibility, and increases the value of Thai products and services, helping to open opportunities in international markets.
Over the past 19 years, a total of 1,448 works have been officially awarded, reflecting the evolution of Thai design and its role in continuously enhancing the competitiveness of Thai products. DEmark is thus not just a competition platform but a mechanism that drives Thai designers and entrepreneurs to develop products and services with international competitiveness.
A key strength of DEmark is its collaboration with Japanese design organizations, including the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP). Experts from Japan’s Good Design Award (G-Mark) participate in directing and supporting the award's evaluation process to raise DEmark’s standards, credibility, and international recognition.
Works awarded DEmark also have the opportunity to advance to the Good Design Award (G-Mark) in Tokyo, Japan, one of the internationally recognized design platforms. This exposure helps Thai works gain visibility among entrepreneurs, designers, and foreign markets.
The connection between DEmark and G-Mark is more than just submitting works abroad; it is a mechanism to create international visibility for Thai design and expand commercial opportunities in the global market. The 128 winning works in the 2025 Design Excellence Award span 8 categories as follows:
1. Furniture category: 11 works.
2. Lifestyle category (Gift & Decorative Items / Household Items): 13 works.
3. Industrial & IoT category: 16 works.
4. Accessories & Wearable and textile innovation category: 12 works.
5. Packaging design category: 12 works.
6. Graphic & Communication Design category: 44 works, divided into 5 groups as follows:
Group A: Branding & Identity Design – 18 works.
Group B: Typography & Editorial Design – 13 works.
Group C: Digital & Interactive Design – 2 works.
Group D: Illustration & Character Design – 2 works.
Group E: Environment & Spatial Design – 9 works.
7. Interior Design category, covering hotels, restaurants, cafes, retail spaces, co-working spaces, and condominiums: 13 works.
8. System Service & Digital Platform category: 7 works.
DEmark 2026 also emphasizes design that creates social value through 9 Social Impact awards, including: 1) AFTER ALTITUDE: MALAI SERIES by Thai Airways, 2) Digital Bus Stop by Bangkok Metropolitan Experiment Center, 3) KNOT, 4) The Tests of Wisdom, 5) San-Pa-Koi City Identity & Key Visual, 6) Thai Type, 7) Chai Dai Website, 8) Bangkok Flower Market Festival: A Decade of Creative Floral District Design, and 9) Joy Ride Elderly Companion.
Meanwhile, 8 Aspiring Designer awards were given to works demonstrating growth potential, including: 1) RePot, 2) Yang Wong, 3) Onson Spirit, 4) Readery Brand Identity, 5) 10101 – 101 Pieces of 1 City (Bangkok Edition), 6) Everything Sampang, 7) PEACE HOUSE KOH PHIPHI, and 8) Num Eiang Astrolendar.
The 8 Best Design award winners include: 1) ARCHIE BED, 2) Malai Collection, 3) Widero, 4) BEWILD BH Ant Nest Bag, 5) Medicated Herbal Inhaler Water Jasmine Scent – HOLEN Brand, 6) 10101 – 101 Pieces of 1 City (Bangkok Edition), 7) Siam Societies, and 8) Spacely AI.
These works reflect the capability of Thai designers and entrepreneurs to combine creativity, technology, identity, and consumer insight into products that meet practical needs, value, and business opportunities. DEmark is thus more than a design award.
It is an important government tool that leverages design to enhance the competitiveness of Thai entrepreneurs—from adding value and differentiation to Thai products and services, building consumer confidence, to creating opportunities to expand markets and connect with international platforms.
Saengkaew Project: Muang Thai Life Assurance and Muang Thai Smile Foundation continue the Saengkaew project for cataract surgery for underprivileged elderly for the 8th consecutive year, collaborating with the Department of Social Development and Welfare, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and Banphaeo Eye Hospital in Samut Sakhon Province. The project expands access to cataract treatment for elderly and vulnerable groups in the self-sufficient industrial estate area, aiming to treat 75 eyes in 2026 and supporting Banphaeo Eye Hospital with an additional 200,000 baht to continue helping underprivileged elderly.
TCP Group Invades China: TCP Group brought Thai creativity to China with the Very Thai Dian Feng Music Festival 2026, a music and cultural event under the Red Bull brand, held for the 4th consecutive year in Huzhou, China, on 5-6 September. The festival showcased Thai charm through music, artists, performances, food, and various activities over two full days, led by popular Thai artists like BamBam-Kantapimuk, Golf Fukkling Hero, 4EVE, NexT1DE, and Butterbear, alongside Chinese artists. The event featured special shows and experiences reinterpreting Thai culture in fun, accessible ways that connect with diverse lifestyles. It reflected the capability of Thais to create memorable experiences on international stages, elevating the Very Thai Music Festival 2026 into a uniquely distinctive event eagerly anticipated every year.
