Organized by APCI-Promotion du design, the 2nd edition of the "France Design Impact Award" has unveiled the 40 nominated projects. INPI is participating in the jury.

The 40 projects of the France Design Impact award 2026 were officially revealed during the inauguration of the Tours Economic Fair on May 2nd.

This 2026 selection highlights initiatives from all regions of France and demonstrates the concrete role of Design facing major climate and political challenges.

Through different scenes of daily life (taking care, living, moving, learning, communicating, producing and living together), the selection shows that design is a strategic lever for economic transformation.

The "France Design Impact Award" highlights high-impact projects, both tangible and intangible, from all professions within the field. Design : Design product and industrial design of course, but also Design brand and visual identity, Design user interface, Design of space until Design on duty.

A selection made by a jury of experts

As in the previous year, the projects were evaluated by three complementary juries – economic, environmental and societal – reflecting the French design ecosystem and composed of personalities and experts from the private and public sectors.

As a historical partner of APCI-Promotion du design, INPI sat on the economic jury, alongside Bpifrance, the French Development Agency, the Directorate General for Enterprises and Air Liquide. « I appreciated the wide diversity of the projects. The topics and the structures behind them are indeed very varied: product design, service design, user experience, etc. » Guillaume Brunel, industrial property affairs officer at the Directorate of Enterprises, one of the two INPI experts on the jury, emphasizes this point.

Laurence de la Gorce, head of the Designs & Models department at INPI, also represented the Institute on the jury. "I appreciated the diversity of the projects, some more creative than others, but often with an ecological vision, and a use of drawing and modeling more or less integrated into the process." » she declared after the deliberations.

Two former INPI Trophy winners are among the nominees.

Among the 40 nominated projects are two former winners of the INPI Trophies: the Breton ETI Delta Dore, one of the French pioneers in the market for connected homes and buildings, winner in 2020, and Procédés Chenel International, winner in 2016, a family company specializing in "paper architectures".

The design, an industrial property right, proves to be the essential step for all designer concerned about the long-term viability of its creations, as Guillaume Brunel points out: "The concept of Design is at the heart of any innovative initiative. While the outcome of this initiative can potentially be protected by a patent, design is also a means of protection that should not be overlooked in the case of a new product. It is a simple legal tool to use, both for filing and for combating counterfeiting. It thus secures the exploitation of a product and offers possibilities for international expansion.

By registering a design with the INPI (French National Institute of Industrial Property), you obtain a monopoly on its use in France for a minimum of 5 years, renewable in 5-year increments, up to a maximum of 25 years. This registration grants you exclusive rights to use your creation, allowing you to commercially exploit it while protecting yourself against counterfeiters. Laurence de la Gorce explains: “Registering designs makes it easier to protect and defend your creation, by establishing a title and a presumption in favor of the holder. In the event of legal proceedings, unlike copyright, there is no need to demonstrate originality: it is up to the alleged infringer to prove the absence of novelty or individual character. Furthermore, holding a title also allows you to position yourself as an innovative company.”

Nearly 5,500 designs are filed with the INPI each year.

The winning projects will be unveiled next September at the official awards ceremony, during the inauguration of the France Design Week festival, in collaboration with Paris Design Week.

Source: https://www.inpi.fr/en/in-one/france-design-impact-award-2026