On June 10–11, the iF Design Student Award 2026 held its award ceremony in Frankfurt, where HOTO continued its support for emerging designers as one of the program’s sponsors. Thanks to the platform created by the iF Design team, the HOTO Design Prize was established to recognize student ideas that reflect a shared belief in thoughtful design.
“Good design starts with everyday life.”
For HOTO, everyday life is not simply a design context, it is where meaningful ideas begin. The most compelling designs often come from careful observation of how people interact with the world, and from reimagining those everyday moments through thoughtful design.
“At HOTO, we hope design can help people feel more capable, more confident, and more connected in everyday life,” shared HOTO Product Design Director Zhang Yuxin during the award ceremony, "we believe good design starts with everyday life, with thoughtful observation, interaction, and the small experiences people often overlook."
Looking across this year's HOTO Design Prize winners, we were excited to see this belief take shape through a diverse range of perspectives and experiences.
Meet the HOTO WINNERS
Larum—Mindful eating concept in a fast-paced world
by Lara Yasmin Haaken, Fachhochschule Aachen
Larum encourages people to slow down and engage more consciously with everyday dining. By rethinking familiar eating rituals, it transforms an ordinary activity into an opportunity for reflection, interaction, and greater awareness of the moments we often overlook.
ÓRTESIS URBANA (URBAN ORTHOSIS)—Urban support system for community networks
by Paula Garrote González, Istituto Europeo Di Design (IED)
ÓRTESIS URBANA reimagines how communities can shape the places they live. By encouraging residents to collaboratively identify challenges and develop solutions, the project demonstrates the power of design to strengthen connection and collective engagement.
Colorolli—Inclusive Tool Family for Visual Creation
by Anna Sára György, Széchenyi István University
Colorolli empowers children of different abilities to explore creativity with confidence. Through an intuitive and accessible approach to painting, it supports self-expression, joyful discovery, and independent participation.
As Yuxin further noted during the award ceremony, “Good design is never just about function. It is about human experience.”
Though each project addresses a different aspect of everyday life, all three demonstrate a deep understanding of people and the role design can play in shaping meaningful experiences. It is this human-centered perspective that made them stand out to us.
Supporting the Ideas That Shape Tomorrow
The HOTO Design Prize by iF Design marks an important first step in HOTO's broader commitment to supporting emerging talent. More than an award, it is a platform for recognizing ideas that align with our belief that thoughtful design can make everyday life better.
Looking forward, HOTO will continue exploring opportunities to engage with and empower the next generation of designers. By supporting young creative voices and fostering meaningful design conversations, we hope to contribute to a more vibrant, open, and forward-looking design community.
Because the future of design begins with the ideas we choose to recognize today.
Author: HOTO PR Team
