Samsung Electronics announced on the 21st that it won a total of 45 awards at IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) 2026, one of the world’s top three design competitions, on the strength of its human-centered design philosophy. The company’s “Home Appliance Accessibility Design” was selected as the inaugural winner of the newly established Impact Award, highlighting Samsung’s leadership in the accessibility space.

IDEA is an international design award organized by the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) that has been running since 1980. It evaluates design innovation, user experience, and social contribution across 20 categories including consumer technology, industrial products, digital interaction, and packaging. Samsung Electronics recorded one Impact Award, nine Bronze awards, and 35 Finalist honors at this year’s competition.

The Impact Award, introduced for the first time this year, is an additional distinction given to designs that demonstrate particular strength in sustainability. Samsung’s Home Appliance Accessibility Design was highly praised for designing appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators so that anyone can use them easily, taking into account the different physical characteristics of users—including visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive abilities.

Specifically, the design supports features such as enlarged on-screen text and voice guidance, a simplified “Easy Mode” that streamlines complex functions, and “Auto Open Door” that operates with a light touch or voice command for users who have difficulty opening doors by hand. Accessibility settings configured on mobile devices can be applied directly to home appliances, and a “Voice ID” feature recognizes the user’s voice to automatically switch to personalized settings.

Bronze award winners included the premium “Infinite AI Air Purifier,” which features a soft curved design and a pop-up clean booster that retracts when not in use, and the “Micro RGB Brand Identity,” which visually expresses the immersive display experience of Micro RGB technology. The “Samsung Mobile Origami Package,” a smartphone packaging concept made by folding a single sheet of recycled paper, and the “Portable SSD T7 Resurrected,” a portable storage device with an exterior case made entirely from recycled aluminum, also received Bronze awards. “AIDC (AI Design Companion),” an AI-based advanced design solution that verifies product usability through virtual simulation, was also among the winners.

At the Red Dot Design Award 2026 held in Germany, Samsung Electronics captured a total of 12 awards, including one “Best of the Best” in the Brand & Communication category. The top honor went to the “Privacy Display,” applied for the first time in the world on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The display is designed so that the screen is clearly visible from the front but difficult to see from the side, reducing personal information exposure in public spaces such as subways or crowded cafés.

Eleven works received the main award, including “The Moving Style” visual branding, which expresses the versatile usability of mobile screens through a differentiated visual identity; “Vision AI Companion,” which provides a personalized viewing experience tailored to user characteristics and situations; and “Design Is an Expression of Love,” the exhibition at Milan Design Week 2026.

Mauro Porcini, President and Chief Design Officer (CDO) of Samsung Electronics’ DX Division, said, “Design has the power to connect ideas with people and transform them into meaningful experiences. Based on a deep understanding of people, we will continue to discover new possibilities in everyday life and create experiences for better lives and a better future.”

At the same competition, LG Electronics also received a total of 17 awards, including five Bronze awards. Bronze winners included the “LG SIGNATURE OLED W,” a wireless wallpaper TV with a thickness in the 9mm range; three indoor units of the “LG Therma V” air-to-water heat pump (AWHP); the “LG UltraFine Evo,” a professional monitor with a 4-sided slim bezel; the “LG Smart Monitor Swing,” which allows screen position adjustment; and the “LG PuriCare Aero Mini” air purifier. Twelve products, including the “LG CLOi” home robot that responds to voice and gestures for interaction, were selected as Finalists.

The awards won by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics at the two competitions are summarized below.

CompanyCompetitionTotal AwardsTop DistinctionBronzeFinalist/Main AwardSamsung ElectronicsIDEA 2026451 Impact Award (newly established, first winner)935Samsung ElectronicsRed Dot 2026121 Best of the Best—11LG ElectronicsRed Dot 202617—512

Samsung Electronics received a combined total of 57 awards across IDEA and Red Dot.

Building on this recognition, Samsung Electronics is expanding beyond product-centric design into services, branding, and advanced design. The strategy is to integrate accessibility, personalization, AI, and sustainability into design to deliver experiences tailored to individual user needs and lifestyles. In particular, being selected as the first winner of the newly established Impact Award is seen as international recognition of the company’s efforts to integrate social value into design beyond mere technological innovation.