Design, AI and Tech Awards return with new categories to recognise startups and large firms
Applications for the 2026 awards are now open until Jan 31
[SINGAPORE] Building on the momentum of its successful debut earlier this year, the Design, AI and Tech Awards (Daita) will return in 2026 with a new category format designed to better recognise the spectrum of Singapore’s innovation landscape.
Two new categories – Startups and SMEs, and Large Enterprises – will be introduced, announced joint organisers The Business Times and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). The competition aims to spur innovators from startups and companies to harness design and technology to develop groundbreaking solutions that tackle real-life business challenges. Outstanding entries from each category will be shortlisted to present their ideas at a dedicated event, with three top prizes awarded per category.
Speaking to BT, Professor Tai Lee Siang, the deputy president and chief innovation and enterprise officer of SUTD, said: “Large corporations, with their greater financial muscle, should participate in the awards to showcase how artificial intelligence (AI) has made a real difference in their operations. For startups, the opportunity lies in using AI to create products and solutions that set them apart from competitors who have yet to harness its potential.”
Submissions will be assessed across five criteria: design thinking process and strategies; originality, functionality and aesthetics; utilisation of AI and advanced technologies; ethical consideration and sustainability; and whether the design has made a quantitative and qualitative impact.
Professor Tai’s advice to prospective applicants is to start by focusing on something that is scalable. “When it comes to AI applications, solutions that are more human-scale allow us to truly appreciate their benefits – unlike those so massive they can only be expressed in astronomical figures, yet whose impact on society cannot really be felt,” he noted.
Daita’s inaugural edition saw a diverse field of contenders, from burgeoning startups to established industry players. The 2025 awards, held in May this year, celebrated a range of innovations across three main categories: Product Design, System Design, and Spatial Design.
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Homegrown semiconductor optics startup MetaOptics Technologies, local autonomous cleaning robot firm LionsBot and Sengkang General Hospital clinched the top honours. MetaOptics impressed the judges with its advanced colour metalens imaging system that features a single-glass layer alternative to traditional multi-layer curved plastic lenses.
LionsBot impressed with its autonomous robots armed with AI navigation, fleet management and generative AI support, all while using 10 per cent of the water utilised by traditional cleaning machines. Sengkang General Hospital also impressed with its fully automated sterile supply system.
BT editor Chen Huifen said: “For an evolving field like artificial intelligence to gain greater acceptance, entrepreneurs, business leaders and individuals will want to see how others are applying it.” She added: “That is what the Design AI and Tech Awards aim to do – to showcase design and human-centric solutions amplified by AI’s transformative potential. The best solutions don’t just leverage AI; they flesh out its value in solving real problems, elevate people, and improve lives and processes.”
Applications for Daita 2026 are open from now until Jan 31, 2026. More information can be found here.
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