A' Design Awards opens 2026 entries for playground and public park design

A' Design Award & Competition has opened submissions for its 2026 Playground Equipment, Play Structures and Public Park Design Awards. The competition spotlights play spaces that emphasize safety, inclusion, creativity and outdoor activity, with entries due Sept. 30, 2026 and winners announced May 1, 2027.

Why it matters: - The awards aim to elevate playground and public park projects that improve safety, accessibility, inclusivity and child development. - Winners receive PR and marketing support that can increase visibility for designers, manufacturers and public-space professionals. - The competition covers projects that shape everyday community spaces for children, families and neighborhoods.

What happened: - A' Design Award & Competition opened its call for entries for the A' International Playground Equipment, Play Structures and Public Park Design Awards. - Entries are open worldwide to playground designers, landscape architects, urban planners, manufacturers, inspectors, consultants, developers and related professionals. - Eligible work includes playground equipment, play structures and public park projects completed within the last 10 years. - The entry deadline is Sept. 30, 2026. - Winners will be announced May 1, 2027.

The details: - The competition runs in two phases. - The first phase offers a complimentary preliminary evaluation of submitted projects. - Projects that pass the preliminaries can move to nomination, which carries a nominal fee. - Eligible projects include swing sets, slides, climbing structures, seesaws, merry-go-rounds, sandboxes, jungle gyms, balance beams and other recreational park environments. - Sub-category information is available in the awards category listing. - Participants can register through the entry portal. - Past winners are available through the winners archive. - The awards description is also posted at the category page.

Between the lines: - The awards are positioned as both a design competition and a promotion engine. - The A' Design Prize for professional-edition laureates includes a Design Excellence Certificate, winner logo license, yearbook placement, trophy, gala-night invitation, translations and inclusion in ranking platforms. - Winning entries also get an exclusive interview, a press release and a press kit with images and other assets. - A' Design Award says press kits are distributed to thousands of accredited press members, with additional press partners already committed to feature selected winners. - The package is free for laureates, which lowers the cost of post-win publicity.

What's next: - Designers and organizations can submit eligible projects now ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline. - A' Design Awards will complete preliminary scoring before advancing projects to nomination. - Results will be published on May 1, 2027. - The competition will continue building its winner roster, press distribution and ranking platforms after the awards are announced.

The bottom line: - A' Design Awards is using its 2026 playground and public park program to reward innovative outdoor spaces while giving winners a built-in publicity pipeline.