A total of 27 finalists reached the final round of the world-renowned competition for first-class carpet design. This time, the judges will select from 396 handmade carpets submitted worldwide from Australia to Canada. Three exclusive examples from each of nine categories, which combine design, quality and craftsmanship to a special degree, made it to the finals. With the new category " Best Emerging Designers " the Carpet Design Awards 2021 honored for the first time together with the Scottish NGO Turquoise Mountain outstanding young designers. The coveted awards, presented for the 16th time in collaboration with the trade magazines COVER and HALI, have been celebrating the best in contemporary carpet design for more than 15 years and reflect the innovative strength and trends of the industry. 

The winners of the nine competition categories will be announced at an exclusive awards ceremony on May 20, 2021 at a virtual live event in a festive setting. For the first time, the Carpet Design Awards Ceremony will not take place at DOMOTEX, as it will not be held this year due to the pandemic. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on the DOMOTEX website (www.domotex.de/en/cda).

The jury met under the chairmanship of Graham Head, carpet expert and former president and vice chairman of ABC Carpet & Home. "This year CDA was very unique and interesting due to the fact that so many of us were forced into isolation. The lack of usual trade shows, following trends and cross pollination, really stirred in some creativity within rug business. What really surprised me was the quality and originality visible in all entries, a special case of purity of design without corruption. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of the judging panel again", said Graham Head.

"By participating as a judge on CDA, I knew that I was going to have to discover and decide between hundreds of magnificent creations, designers, manufacturers, interior projects. And I was not disappointed by the quality of the entries! I was happy to see that creativity, the love of a profession and of handmade carpets has gone beyond the difficult context that we are doing through on a global level to give birth to inspired projects! The choice was particularly complicated for me, torn between different judgement criteria to finally decide which criterion would prevail. Sometimes an emotion, a language even incomplete, a general harmony or a daring technique takes over the rest… It was a difficult exercise and even if it was not possible to retain more deserving projects, I remain amazed by the enthusiasm conveyed by all participants.", says Irène Ribeiro, member of this year's CDA jury and long-time shoe designer for brands such as Issey Miyake, Theirry Mugler or Paul & Joe, who has been working in the field of interior home design since 2016.

"This year everything is different. We are all the more pleased about the many international submissions, which confirm our decision to hold the Carpet Design Awards again this year and to have the ceremony take place in a virtual setting. The audience can look forward to many innovative and first-class designs and discover trends and novelties. The Carpet Design Awards are always a highlight and highly regarded in the international carpet industry - their results are already eagerly awaited," says Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director DOMOTEX, Deutsche Messe AG, Hannover.

Selection criteria included design and design concept, material, finish, texture and quality, as well as sustainability and branding.