The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) will host an evening reception on Tuesday 29 September 2026 at Gate House, 201 West George Street, to mark the launch of the Stellar Design Award Exhibition, running from 29 September to 1 October 2026.
Hosted by GSA’s School of Innovation & Technology (SIT), the event underscores the School’s commitment to fostering cross-cultural and interdisciplinary partnerships in response to pressing global challenges. SIT is a founding member of the North Latitude 45 Design and Education Group (NLD&E 45), which sponsors and organises the international Stellar Design Award competition in collaboration with the Harbin Institute of Technology (China) and Politecnico di Torino (Italy).
The evening will feature welcome addresses from Professor Penny Macbeth, Director and Principal of The Glasgow School of Art; Professor SUN Cheng, Dean of the School of Architecture and Design, Harbin Institute of Technology; and Professor Gordon Hush, Head of the School of Innovation and Technology at GSA. With a parallel exhibition launch taking place in Turin on 1 October, the event offers an important international platform for emerging designers entering professional practice.
The 2026 Stellar Design Award Exhibition presents selected winning and shortlisted works from the newly inaugurated 2025 global competition. Attendees will have the opportunity to view nine Gold Award-winning projects, 14 Silver Award-winning projects, and a selection of shortlisted entries submitted by students, researchers, and design practitioners from around the world, including Gold Medal winning work from a graduate of the GSA’s Highlands & Islands campus in Forres.
The works featured in the exhibition span three key design disciplines:
- Spatial Design: Systemic architectural and landscape solutions balancing ecological resilience with social inclusivity.
- Product Design: User-friendly, low-cost solutions guided by near-zero carbon and full life-cycle circularity principles.
- Digital (Smart) Media: Interactive applications utilising data intelligence and immersive media to foster public engagement and environmental awareness.
Through this collection, the exhibition aims to celebrate creative achievement, stimulate interdisciplinary dialogue, and deepen collaborative ties between the participating institutions.
The Stellar Design Award Exhibition runs 29 September – 1 October 2026, at Gate House, 201 West George Street, Glasgow G2 2LW. The evening reception, hosted by The Glasgow School of Art, takes place from 5pm to 8pm on Tuesday 29 September.
For further information, please contact press@gsa.ac.uk.
NOTES FOR EDITORS
About the Stellar Design Award
The Stellar Design Award is an international design competition established by the North Latitude 45 Design and Education Group, a collaborative network involving Harbin Institute of Technology, The Glasgow School of Art, and Politecnico di Torino. Held alongside the Group’s annual academic conference, the award aims to strengthen the integration of industry, academia, and research. It provides an international platform for exploring innovative approaches to design practice and design education, while encouraging creative responses to contemporary global challenges, particularly those related to sustainable development. The competition also creates opportunities for students, academics, researchers, and design practitioners to exchange ideas, develop international collaborations, and share new perspectives on the future of design. You can find more information HERE.
About The Glasgow School of Art
The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe’s leading independent university-level institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. Ranked eighth in the QS 2026 World University Subject rankings, the GSA is the only institution in Scotland in the global top 10 for art and design and one of only three institutions within the UK.
Our studio-based, specialist, practice-led teaching, learning and research draw talented individuals with a shared passion for visual culture and creative production from all over the world. Originally founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, the School’s history can be traced back to 1753 and the establishment of the Foulis Academy delivering a European-style art education. Today, the GSA is an international community of over 3500 students and staff across architecture, design, fine art, innovation and technology in our campuses in Glasgow and Altyre (in the Scottish Highlands) and a thriving Open Studio programme delivering non-degree provision to over 1500 students annually.
