make me! 2026: Heritage of the Future – competition rules

RULES OF THE make me! COMPETITION

“POLISH DESIGN FORUM 2026 – LOCALITY”

special edition of Łódź Design Festival

DEFINITIONS

1. Competition – a special edition of the make me! competition devoted to locality, traditional techniques, and local patterns, products and traditions, organised as part of the POLISH DESIGN FORUM 2026 – LOCALITY at Łódź Design Festival.

2. Entrant – an adult natural person with full legal capacity, a team of such persons, a legal person, or an organisational unit without legal personality that completes and submits the entry form and meets the other conditions of participation set out in the Rules.

3. Project (Entry) – a product design submitted to the Competition together with its description and materials; it constitutes a work within the meaning of the Polish Act of 4 February 1994 on Copyright and Related Rights.

4. Finalist – an Entrant whose Project has been selected by the Jury for presentation at the post-competition exhibition.

5. Competition Winner – a Finalist whose Project has been recognised by the Jury as the best Project in the main part of the Competition and who has been awarded the main prize.

6. Regional Category – an additional, optional part of the Competition: a call for a “Promotional Object for the Łódzkie Voivodeship”, to which an Entrant may, but is not required to, submit their Project.

7. Exclusive Variant / Mass-Market Variant – two variants of the Regional Category differing in their purpose, economic guidelines, and the nature and size of the production run: the exclusive variant (a run of 20 to 50 units) or the mass-market variant (a run of 100 to 250 units); the Entrant indicates the selected variant in the Entry.

8. Regional Category Winner – one Entrant selected by the Jury as the author of the best Entry in the Regional Category, from both variants considered jointly.

9. Regional Category Partner – the Łódzkie Voivodeship, represented in accordance with applicable laws and supported by the Marshal’s Office of the Łódzkie Voivodeship. The Partner is entitled to produce the series of the award-winning object specified in the Rules following the effective transfer of the relevant rights to the Partner.

§ I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

1. These rules (hereinafter the “Rules”) define the terms and conditions of participation in the special edition of the make me! competition (hereinafter the “Competition”), organised as part of the special edition of Łódź Design Festival.

2. The Competition is organised by Łódź Art Center, a foundation entered in the Register of Associations, Other Social and Professional Organisations, Foundations and Public Healthcare Institutions under National Court Register (KRS) number 0000246599, with its registered office at ul. ks. bp. Wincentego Tymienieckiego 3, 90-365 Łódź (hereinafter the “Organiser”).

3. The Regional Category is carried out in cooperation with the Łódzkie Voivodeship, represented in accordance with applicable laws and supported by the Marshal’s Office of the Łódzkie Voivodeship (hereinafter the “Partner”).

4. The Competition is international. Participation requires acceptance of the Rules, which govern the announcement, conduct and adjudication of the Competition.

§ II. DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE OF THE COMPETITION

1. The purpose of the Competition is to select and promote projects that creatively refer to locality, use traditional techniques, and draw directly upon or creatively reinterpret local patterns, products and traditions.

2. In this edition, the Organiser has removed the age criterion. The Competition is addressed to creators who are “young at heart”, regardless of age, and who wish to propose a product rooted in tradition or offering a contemporary reinterpretation of it.

3. From among the Entries submitted, the Jury will select between 20 and 40 Projects for presentation at the post-competition exhibition held as part of the special edition of Łódź Design Festival.

4. Every Entrant submitting a Project may additionally enter it in the Regional Category, a call for an object promoting the Łódzkie Voivodeship, under the terms specified in § VI of the Rules. Entry in the Regional Category is voluntary.

§ III. ENTRANTS

1. The Competition is open to an adult natural person with full legal capacity, a team of such persons, a legal person, or an organisational unit without legal personality. Students, graduates, designers, craftspeople, folk artists, informal groups, design studios and companies operating in the design sector are particularly encouraged to participate.

2. Projects may be submitted individually or by a team. A team or informal group shall identify in the form one representative authorised to communicate with the Organiser, make declarations concerning participation in the Competition, and coordinate formalities relating to the prize. The Entry must contain the details of all co-authors and specify their respective shares in the economic copyright to the Project. A prize awarded to a team constitutes one total amount, irrespective of the number of co-authors, and shall be divided in accordance with the shares indicated in the Entry unless the co-authors agree otherwise in writing.

3. Unlike the standard edition of the make me! competition, this edition imposes no age limit on Entrants.

4. Employees of the Organiser, members of the Jury, and persons involved in preparing the Competition on behalf of the Organiser or the Partner may not participate.

§ IV. CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION AND ENTRY

1. To participate in the Competition, an Entrant must complete a separate online form for each Project, available at www.lodzdesign.com under “make me!” – “apply”, and provide:

a) the personal and contact details of the Entrant and all co-authors;

b) a description of the submitted Project in Polish and English;

c) visual materials (3–4 files, each no larger than 4 MB).

An Entry is deemed successfully submitted when the complete form has been sent before the deadline and the Entrant has received confirmation of its receipt at the email address provided. Until the submission deadline, the Entrant may submit a corrected version of the Entry. In that case, only the most recent complete version marked as a correction will be evaluated.

2. Participation further requires consent to the presentation of the Project on www.lodzdesign.com and at the post-competition exhibition, as well as consent to the royalty-free licence referred to in § X of the Rules.

3. Entry in the Competition is free of charge.

4. Entries may be submitted until 23 September 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Polish time.

4a. In the event of a failure of the entry form, server, or another IT system used to receive Entries that may hinder or prevent their successful submission, the Organiser may extend the submission deadline. Information about the extension will be published promptly on www.lodzdesign.com. The extension will apply equally to all Entrants.

5. When completing the form, the Entrant may indicate that the Project is also being entered in the Regional Category. In that case, the Entrant shall:

a) indicate the selected variant: exclusive (a short run of 20 to 50 units) or mass-market (a run of 100 to 250 units);

b) complete the additional section of the Entry with the information required under § VI(4) of the Rules, including a technical specification, production-ready design documentation, and an estimated budget;

c) accept the Regional Category guidelines (brief) constituting Appendix 1 to the Rules.

6. Entry in the Regional Category is not subject to an additional fee. Not entering the Regional Category does not affect the Project’s participation in the main part of the Competition.

7. Visualisations, 3D designs, or finished models may be submitted. Projects selected for the exhibition must be made available as prototypes or products at a 1:1 scale or at a justified scale allowing all functions to be demonstrated.

8. The Entrant declares that they hold the rights or required permissions concerning all elements of the Entry, including the Project, descriptions, photographs, visualisations, illustrations, archival materials, images of persons, typefaces, and other materials used. The Entrant is liable for any infringement of third-party rights resulting from the use of materials submitted by them.

§ V. COMPETITION PROCEDURE

1. The Jury evaluates Entries during a closed session in two stages:

a) Stage 1 – formal and substantive evaluation of Entries on the basis of the forms; selection of between 20 and 40 Finalists whose Projects will be presented at the post-competition exhibition;

b) Stage 2 – final evaluation on the basis of prototypes/products delivered for the exhibition, including the selection of one Competition Winner and one Regional Category Winner.

2. Finalists undertake to deliver, at their own expense and by the deadline specified by the Organiser, a suitably protected prototype or product to the Organiser’s registered office. Works delivered after the deadline, unsafe, inconsistent with the Entry, or not prepared for safe presentation may be excluded from the exhibition.

2a. Projects accepted by the Organiser for the post-competition exhibition will be insured for the period during which they remain in the Organiser’s custody, on the terms and up to the values communicated to Finalists before delivery. The Finalist is responsible for properly packing the work for transport. The manner and date of delivery, collection or return of the work, as well as the terms of return transport, will be agreed with the Finalist by email.

3. The list of Finalists will be published on www.lodzdesign.com. The Organiser will agree by email with the authors of selected works how those works should be prepared for presentation.

3a. A detailed schedule specifying the announcement date of the Finalists, the date and manner of delivery of prototypes or products, the dates of the post-competition exhibition and Gala, and the date for collecting or returning works will be published on www.lodzdesign.com and sent to Finalists electronically. The Organiser may update the schedule for organisational reasons or circumstances beyond its control, notifying Entrants of changes without undue delay.

4. The results, including the Competition Winner and Regional Category Winner, will be announced during the make me! competition Gala and published on www.lodzdesign.com.

§ VI. REGIONAL CATEGORY – PROMOTIONAL OBJECT FOR THE ŁÓDZKIE VOIVODESHIP

1. The Regional Category is an additional, optional part of the Competition. Its subject is the design of an object promoting the Łódzkie Voivodeship that refers to locality, traditional techniques, and regional patterns in accordance with the guidelines (brief) constituting Appendix 1 to the Rules. Traditions connected with artistic crafts, handicrafts, and local creative practices that have helped shape the region’s identity over generations may provide the starting point for the design. Inspiration may be found in the heritage of ceramics and majolica, pottery, basketry, weaving, embroidery, kilim-making, or paper-cutting. Motifs and ornaments drawn from the region’s folklore, traditional costumes, folk design, material culture, and local customs and rituals may also provide important points of reference.

2. An Entrant submitting a Project to the Regional Category shall choose one of two variants:

a) exclusive variant – enabling the production of a short series of exclusive objects (20 to 50 units), potentially with an option for personalisation;

b) mass-market variant – enabling the production of one series of 100 to 250 units.

3. From all Entries in the Regional Category, across both variants jointly, the Jury will select only one Regional Category Winner, namely the author of the best single Entry. The nature and size of the production run will follow the variant in which the award-winning Project was submitted, in accordance with the economic guidelines specified in Appendix 1.

4. In addition to the materials required under § IV, an Entry in the Regional Category must include the following in PDF format:

a) a visualisation of the object;

b) a text explaining the design concept and describing the author’s inspirations and their relationship to the traditions and character of the Łódzkie region;

c) a technical specification;

d) production-ready design documentation;

e) an estimated budget for producing the series in the selected variant, taking into account the maximum gross unit cost specified in Appendix 1.

5. The prize in the Regional Category is PLN 15,000 gross (in words: fifteen thousand Polish zlotys), paid to the Winner under a separate agreement. The prize includes remuneration for the transfer to the Organiser or directly to the Partner of the economic copyright in the award-winning Project to the extent specified in § X, the Winner’s participation in preparing the Project for production, no more than two rounds of agreed revisions, and the preparation of final production files. The technical specification and production-ready design documentation are submitted at the Entry stage in accordance with paragraph 4.

5a. Following conclusion of the agreement referred to in paragraph 5, the Partner may commission any contractor of its choice to produce the series specified in the award-winning variant. Production may comprise only one run: 20 to 50 units in the exclusive variant or 100 to 250 units in the mass-market variant, in the quantity set out in the agreement with the Winner. This authorisation does not include additional print runs, reissues, or subsequent production runs. Any such production requires a separate agreement with the Winner specifying the scope of use of the Project and the remuneration due.

5b. The Winner shall participate in preparing the Project for production and is entitled to approve the production prototype before production of the entire series begins. Approval may not be withheld without reasonable grounds. The detailed schedule, the method for submitting comments, and the deadline for approving the prototype will be specified in the agreement with the Winner.

6. If the Winner evades or refuses to conclude the agreement referred to above, the Jury may designate as Winner the next Entrant according to the number of points received or decide not to award the Regional Category prize.

§ VII. EVALUATION CRITERIA

1. In the main part of the Competition, the Jury evaluates Entries according to the following criteria:

a) originality of the solution and aesthetic qualities – up to 30 points;

b) relevance to the objectives of the Competition and connection with locality, traditional techniques, patterns, products, or traditions – up to 30 points;

c) quality and clarity of the Project presentation, functionality, and ergonomics – up to 20 points;

d) implementation, market, communication, or experimental potential – up to 20 points.

2. Entries in the Regional Category are evaluated according to the following criteria:

a) original design, aesthetic qualities, and ergonomics – up to 40 points;

b) consistency with the brief, locality, and the character of the Łódzkie region – up to 40 points;

c) reasonableness of production costs – up to 10 points;

d) use of solutions consistent with the principles of sustainable development, including reducing material use, recyclability, repairability, compliance with circular-economy principles, and the use of local raw materials or technologies – up to 10 points.

3. The maximum score is 100 points. The points awarded by individual Jury members under each criterion are averaged using the arithmetic mean, and the results for all criteria are added together. In the event of a tie, the score for “reasonableness of production costs” shall prevail, followed by the score for “original design, aesthetic qualities, and ergonomics”.

4. In the main part of the Competition, in the event of a tie, the score under the criterion specified in paragraph 1(b) shall prevail, followed by the criterion specified in paragraph 1(a). If these rules do not resolve the tie, the Director of Łódź Design Festival shall have the deciding vote.

§ VIII. JURY

1. Entries, including the Finalists, Competition Winner, and Regional Category Winner, shall be evaluated and selected by the Jury composed of:

a) a representative of the Promotion Department of the Marshal’s Office of the Łódzkie Voivodeship;

b) Michał Piernikowski – Director of Łódź Design Festival;

c) Aleksandra Kietla – brand marketing specialist.

2. A Jury member shall be excluded from evaluating an Entry if they have a personal, professional, or financial relationship with the Entrant that may raise a reasonable doubt as to their impartiality. The exclusion shall be recorded in the minutes. In such a case, the Project shall be evaluated by the remaining Jury members.

3. The Jury’s decisions are made in accordance with the evaluation procedure specified in § VII and are final, without prejudice to the Entrant’s right to lodge a complaint. Minutes shall be drawn up of the Jury’s proceedings. The Jury may decide not to select a Competition Winner or Regional Category Winner and may cancel the relevant part of the Competition if no Entries meeting the requirements are received.

§ IX. PRIZES AND RESULTS

1. In the main part of the Competition, Finalists will be awarded presentation of their Project at the post-competition exhibition held as part of Łódź Design Festival and promotional support. The Competition Winner will additionally receive a cash prize of PLN 15,000 gross (in words: fifteen thousand Polish zlotys).

2. The prize in the Regional Category is PLN 15,000 gross (in words: fifteen thousand Polish zlotys), paid to one Winner under the terms specified in § VI(5). The award of the prize entails the transfer of rights to the Project to the extent necessary for the Partner’s potential production of one series: a short series of 20 to 50 units in the exclusive variant or a series of 100 to 250 units in the mass-market variant. Production is subject to the Partner’s decision, and the exact number of units will be specified in the agreement with the Winner.

3. Prize amounts are gross amounts. The Organiser, acting as the withholding agent, will withhold and remit the applicable tax where required by law. The Winner will receive the amount less any applicable public-law charges. For a team Project, the method of payment and division of the amount among the co-authors will be specified in the agreement, taking into account the shares indicated in the Entry.

4. Payment of the Regional Category prize is conditional upon the Winner concluding the agreement specified in § VI(5). The prize will be paid within the period specified in that agreement.

5. The same Project may receive an award both in the main part of the Competition and in the Regional Category. In that case, the Entrant will receive both prizes.

6. The results will be announced during the make me! competition Gala and on www.lodzdesign.com. Entrants will also be informed of the outcome directly by the Organiser.

§ X. COPYRIGHT AND LICENCE

1. Only Projects in which the Entrant holds unrestricted economic copyright and which do not infringe third-party rights may be submitted to the Competition.

2. Upon submission of the Entry, the Entrant grants the Organiser a royalty-free, non-exclusive, territorially unrestricted licence for a period of five years to use the Project and the submitted materials solely for purposes connected with conducting and documenting the Competition, evaluating the works, organising the exhibition, publishing the results, and promoting the Competition, Festival, Finalists, and Winners in the following fields of exploitation:

a) fixation and reproduction by any technique, including printing, photographic, reprographic, digital, and audiovisual techniques;

b) entry into computer memory, IT systems, and databases;

c) public exhibition, display, and playback;

d) making available to the public in such a manner that anyone may access the materials from a place and at a time individually chosen by them, in particular on the websites and social media channels of the Organiser and Partner;

e) use in printed and digital informational, press, promotional, educational, archival, and documentary materials connected with the Competition or Festival.

The Organiser may make the materials available to the Partner, entities supporting the Competition, and the media solely for the purposes specified above. Technical adjustment of materials to the publication format, including cropping, scaling, and adjustment of image parameters, is permitted provided that the Project is not distorted. Published works will, where possible, be accompanied by information identifying the author.

3. Under a separate agreement and as part of the prize, the Regional Category Winner is required to transfer to the Organiser or directly to the Partner the economic copyright in the award-winning Project to the extent necessary to prepare, produce, and use one series in the exact quantity specified in the agreement, within the limits of the variant selected in the Entry, in the following fields of exploitation:

a) fixation and reproduction of the Project using the technique necessary to manufacture the series specified in the agreement, exclusively in the number of copies specified in the agreement;

b) distribution of the original and copies – placing on the market, lending, or rental;

c) dissemination by other means – public performance, exhibition, display, playback, broadcasting and rebroadcasting, and making available to the public in a manner enabling access at a place and time individually chosen;

d) use for the statutory, advertising, promotional, and marketing purposes of the Organiser and Partner;

e) use of the Project to manufacture, produce, and distribute one series of objects in the quantity specified in the agreement, and use of the manufactured copies in the fields of exploitation set out above.

The transfer of rights does not include the right to produce additional print runs, reissues, or subsequent production runs. Each such use requires a separate agreement with the Winner and the determination of additional remuneration. The Organiser or Partner may commission a contractor of its choice to carry out production.

4. The agreement with the Winner will include authorisation to exercise derivative rights in respect of modifications and adaptations of the Project necessary for its technical preparation for the specified production run. The Winner shall participate in their development through no more than two rounds of agreed revisions and shall approve the production prototype before production of the entire series begins. Moral rights remain with the author. The agreement may specify how those rights are to be exercised and include the Winner’s undertaking not to exercise them in relation to modifications approved by the Winner during production preparation.

§ XI. PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION (GDPR)

1. The controller of Entrants’ personal data is the Organiser, Łódź Art Center, ul. ks. bp. W. Tymienieckiego 3, 90-365 Łódź, email: info@lodzdesign.com. The Data Protection Officer can be contacted at iod@lodzdesign.com.

2. Data is processed for the purposes of conducting and adjudicating the Competition, organising the exhibition, announcing and promoting the results, and, with respect to a Winner, concluding and performing an agreement. The legal basis is Article 6(1)(b) and (f) of the GDPR, including the Organiser’s legitimate interest in organising, documenting, promoting, and legally protecting the Competition and Festival, and, with regard to legal, tax, and accounting obligations, Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR.

3. Data recipients may include entities providing the Organiser with IT, hosting, legal, accounting, insurance, courier, production, exhibition, promotional, and media services, as well as public authorities entitled to receive such data under applicable law. The names or business names of Finalists and Winners, information about their Projects, and materials describing those Projects may be published under the terms set out in the Rules.

4. In the Regional Category, the Winner’s data may be transferred to the Partner for the purpose of concluding and performing the agreement and preparing production. The Partner will process the received data as a separate controller in accordance with the information provided to the Winner before conclusion of the agreement.

5. Entrants’ data will be retained for the period necessary to conduct, document, and promote the Competition and for the limitation period applicable to potential claims. Data contained in tax and accounting documentation and agreements will be retained for the period required by law. Materials concerning Finalists and Winners may be retained in the Organiser’s archives for documentary and historical purposes.

6. As a rule, data will not be transferred outside the European Economic Area. Publication of materials on social media may, however, involve their processing by the operators of those services outside the EEA, in accordance with the rules and safeguards applied by the relevant operator.

7. The Entrant has the right to access, rectify, erase, or restrict the processing of their data, the right to object and to data portability, and the right to lodge a complaint with the President of the Polish Personal Data Protection Office, to the extent that these rights arise under applicable laws. Providing data is voluntary but necessary to participate in the Competition.

8. Entrants’ data will not be used for automated decision-making or profiling.

§ XII. FINAL PROVISIONS

1. Submission of an Entry constitutes acceptance of the Rules.

2. The Jury shall decide disputed matters concerning the conduct of the Competition. An Entrant may lodge a complaint with the Organiser within 14 days of the announcement of the results. The complaint must be sent to info@lodzdesign.com and include the Entrant’s details, the Project name, a description of the objections, and the requested manner of resolution. The Organiser will consider the complaint within 14 days of receipt and send its response to the Entrant’s email address.

3. The Organiser reserves the right to publish the name, surname/business name, and information about Finalists and Winners, and to present Projects in promotional materials of the Organiser and Partner.

4. The Organiser reserves the right to amend the Rules for important reasons, while respecting Entrants’ acquired rights. Amendments may not adversely affect the conditions of participation in relation to Entries already successfully submitted unless necessary due to a change in law, a decision by a competent authority, a safety risk, a technical failure, or another circumstance beyond the Organiser’s control. Information about an amendment, together with a consolidated version of the Rules, will be published on www.lodzdesign.com, and Entrants who have submitted Entries will be informed electronically. The Organiser also reserves the right to terminate the Competition without selecting Finalists or a Winner if no Entries meeting the requirements of the Rules are received.