Terms and Conditions

Last Updated: March 14 th, 2026

The Pink Blob Award is an international platform celebrating contemporary design that is fearless, original, and emotionally intelligent.
The initiative is led by Karim Rashid, one of the most influential designers in contemporary design.

The platform aims to give designers visibility and recognize innovative design across multiple categories.

A. Introduction


The Pink Blob Award (“Award”) is organized by Karim Rashid Inc. (“Organizer,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By accessing the website, submitting an entry, or participating in any related activity, you agree to these Terms and
Conditions. If you do not agree, we kindly ask that you refrain from participating.

Eligibility

  • The Award is open to students, designers, architects, design and architecture studios, developers, manufacturers, clients, and companies worldwide unless otherwise specified.
  • Entrants must be at least 18 years old.
  • Employees, affiliates, and immediate family members of the Organizer may be excluded from certain categories.
  • The completion date of projects should be between January 1st, 2023 and the submission date.

Submissions

  • All submissions must be original work created by the entrant.
  • By submitting, you confirm that: you own all rights to the submitted materials, the submission does not infringe on any third-party rights, you have permission from collaborators, photographers, and clients where applicable.
  • The Organizer reserves the right to disqualify incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate submissions.
  • Each submission must include project name, studio/designer name, project description, and 5 high-resolution JPG images, maximum 20MB per image.
  • Projects may be submitted to the following categories: Endorsement of the Body, Liquid Domesticity, Emotional Technology, Democratic Radicalism, and Spatial Humanism. Categories may evolve or change over time.
  • Participants may submit projects to multiple categories and may also submit more than one project within each category. There is no limit on the number of entries per participant.
  • Concept projects are permitted only for student entries. All non-student submissions must represent products already in production or built projects.

Judging


The Pink Blob Award is founded upon a distinct design philosophy. The Award is not intended to recognize corporate polish, market conformity, or commercially safe design solutions.
Submissions will be evaluated by a jury led by Karim Rashid and selected design professionals in accordance with the core values and principles of the Pink Blob ethos.


In particular, the jury will assess entries based on:

  • Demonstrated emotional impact rather than corporate refinement;
  • Originality and creative independence over commercially safe or derivative design;
  • Expressive use of sensuality, color, and form;
  • Willingness to engage in creative risk and boundary-pushing experimentation. The Award is guided by the following philosophical principles:
    • Fluidity over rigidity;
    • Emotion over cold rationalism;
    • Optimism over dystopia;
    • Sensuality over brutality;
    • Democracy over elitism;
    • Future-oriented vision over nostalgia.

All submissions will be evaluated holistically and at the sole discretion of the jury in alignment with these principles.


All jury decisions are final and binding. No correspondence, appeals, or reconsiderations will be entered into.


The Organizer reserves the right to amend award categories, modify the composition of the jury, and adjust the event format as necessary to preserve the integrity and evolution of the Pink Blob Award.

Prizes

  • Winners will be featured on the Pink Blob Award website and across the Award’s official social media channels.
  • Winners will also receive global exposure through Karim Rashid’s social media platforms.
  • Each winner will receive an official certificate signed by Karim Rashid and digital winner badges that may be used on their websites, social media platforms, and promotional materials.
  • The number of winners in each category is determined at the sole discretion of the Organizer.

Media & Publicity

By participating, you grant the Organizer the right to use:

  • Your name
  • Company name
  • Submitted materials

For promotional, marketing, editorial, and archival purposes worldwide, without additional compensation.

Limitation of Liability

The Organizer is not liable for:

  • Technical errors or submission failures
  • Loss, damage, or theft of materials
  • Event cancellation due to force majeure
  • Any indirect or consequential damages

Participation is at your own risk.

Changes


We reserve the right to amend these Terms at any time. Updated versions will be posted on the official website.

Governing Law


These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, United States.

B. Refund Policy

Entry Fees

The current entry fee is $100 per submission and $50 per student submission. Taxes may apply. All submission fees are non-refundable once the entry has been reviewed for eligibility.

Payments are only accepted online.

Award Cancellation

If the award is canceled due to force majeure (including but not limited to natural disasters, government restrictions, or other unforeseen circumstances), the Organizer may offer:

  • A credit toward a future edition
  • A partial refund
  • At the Organizer’s discretion.

Limitation of Liability

Pink Blob Award and its organizers are not responsible for:

  • technical interruptions
  • lost submissions due to technical errors
  • external services used by the platform

Participation is at the user’s own risk.

C. Intellectual Property Clause

Ownership of Submissions

Entrants retain ownership of their submitted work.

License to Organizer

By submitting, entrants grant the Organizer a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

  • Display
  • Publish
  • Reproduce
  • Distribute
  • Promote

The submitted work in connection with the Pink Blob Award includes exhibitions, publications, press releases, websites, and social media.

Third-Party Infringement

Entrants agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Organizer against any claims arising from intellectual property infringement related to their submission.

Credit

The Organizer agrees to credit the entrant whenever reasonably possible.

Pink Blob Award Branding

The name “Pink Blob Award” and all related logos, graphics, and branding elements are the exclusive intellectual property of Karim Rashid Inc. and may not be used without written permission.