UNFOLD26 – Call for participation
Domus Academy launches the third edition of UNFOLD, its annual design competition and showcase, with the theme ENGAGE FRICTION://designing through conflict. The initiative invites design schools from around the world to reflect on design’s potential to confront, rather than resolve, the tensions shaping today’s world.
Selected participants will present their projects during UNFOLD 2026, a special exhibition and one-day conference held during Milan Design Week, from April 21st to 26th, 2026.
As the world’s most influential design event, Milan Design Week is a must-see platform that draws global leaders, innovators, and media across the design and creative industries. For students, it represents a truly unmissable opportunity to showcase their ideas on an international stage, connect with key players in the field, and be immersed in one of the most vibrant, inspiring design ecosystems in the world.
Domus Academy launches the third edition of UNFOLD, its annual design competition and showcase, with the theme ENGAGE FRICTION://designing through conflict. The initiative invites design schools from around the world to reflect on design’s potential to confront, rather than resolve, the tensions shaping today’s world.
Selected participants will present their projects during UNFOLD 2026, a special exhibition and one-day conference held during Milan Design Week, from April 21st to 26th, 2026.
As the world’s most influential design event, Milan Design Week is a must-see platform that draws global leaders, innovators, and media across the design and creative industries. For students, it represents a truly unmissable opportunity to showcase their ideas on an international stage, connect with key players in the field, and be immersed in one of the most vibrant, inspiring design ecosystems in the world.
This year’s theme challenges students to use design as a tool to navigate conflict—social, technological, or environmental—embracing friction as a force for dialogue, negotiation, and transformation. Rather than avoiding tension, the theme embraces friction as a generative force that can provoke meaningful questions, foster critical dialogue, and open space for new forms of negotiation and understanding
The last edition of UNFOLD saw the participation of 12 leading design universities from 9 countries worldwide, involving 53 students and over 40 dedicated professors—a testament to the global relevance and collaborative spirit of the initiative.
Interested institutions are invited to submit an Expression of Interest by September 26, 2025.
