Spain’s Showee won the first Public Choice Award at the DesignEuropa Awards 2026, announced by the EUIPO in Ljubljana on 22 September 2026. Showee Smart Wellness took the prize for a smart shower that helps people with reduced mobility wash safely and independently. For SMEs, the lesson goes beyond the trophy: every entry in the company categories had to be a valid registered EU design already on the market.
Key takeaways
- The tenth DesignEuropa Awards rewarded winners from Latvia, Germany, Poland, France and Spain.
- The Public Choice Award, new this year, was decided by popular vote among candidates from all categories.
- Entrants in the Industry and Entrepreneurs categories needed a valid EU design that is marketed and sold, with no pending invalidity action.
- The jury also scores how well design and other IP rights are marketed and managed, not just aesthetics.
Who won the DesignEuropa Awards 2026?
The EUIPO announced the winners on 22 September 2026, at the ceremony for the tenth edition of its awards in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
| Category | Winner | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Entrepreneurs and Small Companies | CLF Growth Containers, by Carbon Less Future | Latvia |
| Industry | NOHRD StepTower, by WATERROWER | NOHRD | Germany |
| Next Generation | Maria Gil, furniture and lighting designer | Poland |
| Lifetime Achievement | Philippe Starck | France |
| Public Choice | Showee, by Showee Smart Wellness | Spain |
The next edition will take place in Prague, Czechia, in September 2027.
What is Showee and why did it win?
According to the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM), which reported the award on 23 September, Showee is an all-in-one device that automates every stage of a shower, from wetting and soaping to rinsing and drying. It is designed for people with disabilities and older people, so that they can look after their own hygiene with privacy. The OEPM names Èric Güell, Alejandro Castro and Eloi Mirambell as the entrepreneurs behind it and says the system has already been used in residential and healthcare settings.
Showee reached the final of the Entrepreneurs and Small Companies category, announced on 20 May, after being selected from more than 1,600 candidates from 52 countries. It then won the public vote across all categories.
Why a registered EU design is the entry ticket
The 2026 rules are explicit. In the Industry and Entrepreneurs categories, candidates had to own a valid EU design (EUD) that was marketed and sold, in any country, with no pending invalidity proceedings. The EUD number was the first item on the entry form. The split between categories was set at 50 employees or EUR 10 million in balance sheet total.
The judging criteria start with compliance: “sound marketing and management of design and other intellectual property rights” and a demonstrable impact on the market. Then come aesthetics, usability, innovation, sustainability and social impact. In other words, the awards test whether a company has turned a good design into a protected, commercially managed asset.
What SMEs can learn about protecting design
The winners’ stories are different, but the legal toolkit is the same, and it is set out in Regulation (EU) 2026/715:
- File before showing, or within 12 months: a disclosure by the designer is disregarded if the application follows within that grace period (Article 8(2)).
- Do not rely on the unregistered EU design. It lasts three years from first disclosure (Article 12) and protects only against copying (Article 20(4)); registration gives an exclusive right (Article 20(1)).
- Group designs: one application can include up to 50 designs (Article 44), at EUR 350 for the first and EUR 125 for each additional one (Annex I).
- Tell the market: holders may mark products with the letter D in a circle (Article 29).
- Look for funding: under the SME Fund 2026, the voucher for trade marks and designs reimburses 75% of EU and national fees and 50% of WIPO fees, up to EUR 700, and requests to the fund can be made from 2 February to 4 December 2026, as INPI Portugal summarises.
Spanish companies are moving in this direction: the EUIPO reported on 7 July 2026 that EU design applications from Spain grew by 28% in the first half of the year.
What this means for your business
- List the products whose appearance drives sales and check which are registered, where and in whose name.
- Build design filing into the launch plan, before trade fairs, crowdfunding or social media.
- Outside the EU, extend through the Hague System or national filings within the six-month priority period.
- Keep evidence of marketing and sales: it matters for awards, licensing and enforcement.
If you are preparing a launch, our EU design registration service for SMEs can plan filings across Europe, Latin America and Africa.
Where SMEs get design protection wrong
- Showing first, filing later. Beyond 12 months, your own launch can destroy novelty, and some non-EU countries are stricter.
- Registering in a founder’s or designer’s name instead of the company’s, which complicates investment and enforcement.
- Protecting the prototype, not the product that ships, so the registration does not match what is copied.
- Forgetting renewals five years on, when the product may be at its commercial peak.
A coordinated plan, from filing to renewal, avoids all four at a fraction of the cost of fixing them later.
Frequently asked questions
Who won the Public Choice Award at the DesignEuropa Awards 2026?
Showee, a smart shower created by the Spanish company Showee Smart Wellness. It automates wetting, soaping, rinsing and drying for people with reduced mobility or who need support with bathing. The Public Choice Award was introduced for the tenth edition and decided by popular vote among candidates from all categories.
Do you need a registered EU design to enter the DesignEuropa Awards?
For the Industry and Entrepreneurs and Small Companies categories, yes. The 2026 rules required a valid EU design, owned by the candidate, marketed and sold, with no pending invalidity proceedings. The Next Generation and Lifetime Achievement awards follow different criteria.
Can IP Global Guard register my company’s designs?
Yes. We prepare EU design applications before the EUIPO directly where our professionals are entitled and otherwise through qualified representatives, advise on timing, grace periods and SME funding, and extend protection through the Hague System or national offices with local correspondents, from a single point of contact.
How IP Global Guard helps SMEs protect their designs
A design wins customers before it wins awards, and in both cases it is worth more when it is registered and well managed. IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, handles design protection across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa; see our jurisdictions.
Tell us which products you plan to launch, where and when they will be shown. We will propose a filing plan, check whether SME funding applies and coordinate every application from one point of contact. Contact our design team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the information available on the date of publication.
Sources
- EUIPO, DesignEuropa Awards 2026: celebrating a decade of design that shapes the future (22 September 2026)
- OEPM, Showee wins the Public Choice Award at the DesignEuropa Awards 2026 (23 September 2026)
- OEPM, The DesignEuropa Awards have a Spanish finalist (20 May 2026)
- EUIPO, Rules of the DesignEuropa Awards 2026
- EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2026/715 on European Union designs (30 March 2026)
- INPI Portugal, SME Fund 2026 (2026)
- EUIPO, EU trade marks push IP filings to a record high in the first half of 2026 (7 July 2026)
