Slovak Design Award: The Highest Recognition in the Field of Design in Slovakia
In 2023, the Slovak Design Award celebrated its 30th anniversary as well as its 20th edition. In 2024, it entered its fourth decade.
Slovak Design Award (NCD as Slovak abbreviation) is a prestigious nationwide competition and the highest recognition in the field of design in Slovakia. Its main objective is to support, recognize, and present design creators and manufacturers, as well as help Slovak designers establish themselves internationally. The NCD encourages clients and manufacturers to collaborate with professional designers, stimulates theoretical research and professional publishing in design, and documents the development of design in Slovakia.
Slovak Design Award 2024: Communication Design
In its 21st edition, Slovak Design Award focused on contemporary communication design. A record-breaking 555 projects were submitted to the competition, which curator and juror Juraj Blaško considers evidence of the high standard of visual culture in Slovakia. The selection of projects was overseen by an international jury composed of experts in communication design: Juraj Blaško (SK), Zuzana Husárová (SK), Róbert Slovák (SK), Vasyl Kosiv (UA), Filip Blažek (CZ), Justyna Kucharczyk (PL), and Eduardo Barrera Arambarri (MX).
Competition Process and Selection of Nominations
In the first round of the competition, the jury selected 155 projects to advance to the next evaluation phase. After a two-day meeting held on July 1–2 at the Slovak Design Center in Hurbanove kasárne, the jury selected 139 works for the exhibition and from these chose 37 nominations in the following categories: Campaign, Identity, Books and Publications, Digital, Space, Typeface, Packaging and Object, Poster and Visual, New Horizons, and Student Design. In the Motion Design category, no nomination or award was granted due to an insufficient number of projects meeting the jury’s requirements.
Presentation of Nominated Works and Award Ceremony
Throughout the summer, the public had the opportunity to become familiar with the nominated works through the NCD and Slovak Design Center social media profiles, which introduced one competition category each week. The official announcement of the laureates of the prestigious Slovak Design Award took place on November 11 at the Nová Scéna Theatre in Bratislava.
National Design Award 2024 Also Visited Košice
For the first time, the National Design Award, Slovakia’s most prestigious design recognition, left Bratislava and came to Košice. From February 12 to March 14, 2025, visitors could see 139 works by 137 authors representing the best of Slovak communication design from 2022–2024. The exhibition included 11 categories of communication design and presented a cross-section of outstanding achievements in Slovak design practice. This unique presentation was not only a celebration of design artistry but also an impulse to support creativity and collaboration in the region.
The opening of the NCD24 exhibition in Košice took place on February 11 and was preceded by a guided tour with curator Juraj Blaško.
Nominations for the Slovak Design Award 2024 in the Campaign Category
DAAD — Days of Architecture and Design 2023 – Matúš Buranovský, Daniel Šmíra
Meanwhile City – Terézia Denková, Dominik Fodora (co-authors: Matej Mihályi, Martin Jenča)
Nominations in the Digital Category
SNG Atlas – Filip Ruisl, Lukáš Štepanovský (co-authors: Katarína Vass, Igor Rjabinin, František Michal Sebestyén, Rastislav Chynoranský, Marián Horkovič, Romana Halgošová, Branislav Matis, LAB SNG)
Website for NEXT – Robert Finkei (co-author: Jon Dujaka)
Nominations in the Space Category
Project & Process of the SNG Information System – Branislav Matis, Pavlína Morháčová, Beáta Paňáková (co-author: Ondrej Jób)
Navigation and Identity for the Municipal Office in Leopoldov – Marcel Benčík (co-author: architectural studio zerozero)
BIATEC – CELTIC MINT – Peter Liška
Nominations in the Typeface Category
Pannonia – Ondrej Jób
Romboid – Display – Samuel Čarnoký
SNG Sans – Ondrej Jób
QOD Typeface for Vehicle Registration Plates – Simona Császárová, Michal Tornyai
Nominations in the Packaging and Object Category
Longital Dočista – Juraj Behún
JURAN from Modra. Wine Product Line and Labels – Marcel Benčík
Labels for Bažalik Winery – Tereza Maco (co-author: Jakub Teringa)
Nominations in the Poster and Visual Category
Poster Series for Kiosk Festival 2022 – Barbara Kowalczuková, Ester Mládenková
BRaK 9: Not Being Afraid to Keep Growing – Matúš Hnát
SINGULARCH 2022 – Matúš Hnát
SINGULARCH 2023 – Matúš Hnát
Nominations in the New Horizons Category
Living Questionnaire – Anna Ulahelová (co-author: Branislav Matis)
