Designers
Play Sustain 2026

To participate in the Designers Play Sustain 2026 contest, you must register at www.playsustian.pl and, in the next step, fill out the application form.

We encourage you to read the terms and conditions.

Important: Only complete, correctly completed forms, submitted within the allotted time, i.e. Until January 29, 2026, at 12:00 noon.

On December 1, 2025, the organizer will make the contest rules for both categories and their dedicated application forms available on the website.

Right now, you can create an account on our website and register your interest.

All individuals, including finalists and winners of the 2024 edition, can reapply to the contest.

Participants and finalists from the 2025 edition are also welcome to apply for this year’s edition. The only exception is for those who received an award in Designers Play Sustain 2025; winners must observe a one-year waiting period before entering again in the category in which they were awarded.

According to the rules of Designers Play Sustain 2026, anyone who is promoted to the final stage in the Ready-to-Wear category is required to donate one fully sewn look to the Play Sustain Foundation.
In addition, the Play Sustain Foundation has the right to use the images of the entire collection for statutory purposes.

Yes, there is no fee to enter the contest.

The contest’s Grand Finale, the Designers Play Sustain 2026 Gala, will be held on June 12, 2026, in Warsaw, Poland.

The exact location will be announced after January 31, 2026.

In 2026, the contest will be held in two categories:

1. Upcycling Ready-2-Wear – the prize amount is specified on the website and it is an individual award.
2. Ecodesign Digital-2-AI – the prize amount is specified on the website and is an award for the winning team.

The organizer will also award a financial prize to the designer selected by audience votes during the Grand Finale.

The organizer also anticipates additional special prizes. We will keep you informed about the details on the website and on the official social media channels.

Entry to the contest requires the completion of all mandatory fields in the contest form. For the Upcycling Ready-2-Wear category, by the designated date, the person who has decided to participate in the contest should send a complete form that includes the following data and materials:

– personal information,

– contact information,

– granting the necessary approvals,

– collection title,

– A design of a cohesive 7-look collection created second-hand fabrics and garments. The collection should be presented in 8 illustrations created using any technique (hand-drawn sketches, digital materials, collages, mixed media), showing looks 1–7 ‘from head to toe,’ each on a separate illustration. The 8th illustration should present all the looks of the contest collection together,

– a description of the concept of the collection including: the inspiration, circular value and the designer’s perception of the future of fashion,

– a description of the collection – descriptions of individual silhouettes, with a total maximum length of up to 1200 characters with spaces.

Early birds who submit a completed form by January 14, 2026, will receive feedback from the organizers and have the opportunity to make any necessary changes by January 21, 2026.

Submitting an entry to the competition requires completing all mandatory fields in the application form. In the case of the Ecodesign Digital-2-AI category, by January 29, 2026, anyone who decides to participate in the contest should submit a complete form containing the following information and materials:

– personal information,

– contact information,

– granting the necessary approvals,

– selecting from a list of competencies that best characterize the participant’s talents,

– description of previous experience in the above-mentioned competencies and / or information on awards and prizes won (up to 800 characters with spaces),

– a cover letter, including a vision of the world in 2070, in which new technologies (digital / LLM / quantum / biological etc.) shape the lives of the population and fashion (up to 1800 characters),

– take the free personality test www.16personalities.com so that we can better understand and support your talents. Based on the results, choose one of the options from the table.

Early birds who submit a completed form by January 14, 2026, will receive feedback from the organizers and have the opportunity to make any necessary changes by January 21, 2026.

Yes, in the Designers 2026 edition there is an opportunity for one person to apply in both categories.

A person who decides to participate in both categories, and makes it to the finals in both categories, will be required to participate in educational programs and meetings of both groups of finalists. It is worth taking this fact into account when planning your time from the end of February to mid-June 2026.

For the Digital-2-AI category, we are looking for people with different talents and skills. This is important because if you are interested in: fashion, new technologies, management, sustainability, eco-design, digital design, this is the place for you!

So you don’t have to design fashion on a daily basis. You just need to be interested in developing your skills in teamwork and want to support innovative solutions for the fashion of the future.

The final teams of the Digital-2-AI category will be formed by the Foundation’s team and experts, after the recruitment and selection of finalists. Teams will work in + – 5-person groups, selected on the basis of diversity of talents and competencies, in accordance with the idea of Design Thinking.

The educational program planned for the Designers 2026 edition will be delivered hybrid, mostly online, in the form of webinars and workshops.

Additional onsite classes, in Warsaw, will be provided for the finalists.

We will announce the details in early February 2026.

The educational program within the Designers 2026 competition – online meetings, will be largely available to all participants of the competition.

Therefore, join the Designers community and together with us improve your knowledge and competence in the following topics: management of fashion brands, support of new technologies for the fashion industry, eco-design and circular fashion.