Cumulus Association

02/09/2026

Service Design Global Conference offers a discount for Cumulus!

The Service Design Global Conference (SDGC26) will take place from October 28–30, 2026, at the RheinMain CongressCenter in Wiesbaden, Frankfurt RheinMain, and online via RingCentral. As part of World Design Capital Frankfurt RheinMain 2026 and under the theme Beyond Boundaries: Enabling Solutions That Shape Tomorrow, SDGC26 brings together practitioners, leaders, educators, change-makers, and decision-makers from across sectors and disciplines to explore how cross-sector collaboration can create meaningful and resilient futures.

Learn more and get your tickets: https://www.servicedesignglobalconference.com/

Join the conference with a special 20% discount code for Cumulus Members: CUMULUS20SDGC!

01/09/2026

The Royal College of Art, our member, has announced the establishment of a new School of Communication & Design.

The new School brings together communication and design disciplines within a single, unified academic entity. It will operate alongside the RCA’s existing School of Architecture and School of Arts & Humanities, streamlining the university's academic framework into a three-School structure.

The strategic move reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of communication and design practices. The School will provide increased opportunities for interdisciplinary working, shared learning and cross-School engagement with collaboration actively supported through teaching, research and creative practice.

The School will continue to build on the RCA's international reputation for excellence, bringing together material intelligence, making, emerging technologies and critical enquiry to address the complex challenges facing society, culture and industry.

The establishment of the School of Communication & Design marks a major step in the RCA’s academic vision to champion progressive, collaborative education fit for the future of global industry and culture.

Congratulations👏. More;

RCA announces new school of Communication & Design

01/09/2026

Aniwow! 2026 International Student Animation Festival calling for entries!

Submit your project to [Aniwow!2026], the 21st China (Beijing) International Student Animation Festival by the Communication University of China.

It aims to encourage young animators to adhere to their artistic ideals and discover new talent in animation.

Projects in the following categories are welcome:
– Animation,
– Comics and Picture Books
– Digital Art
– Digital Games.

Submission deadline: September 14

For more detailed registration and submission instructions, please refer to the official website: http://aniwow.cuc.edu.cn/

01/09/2026

NEB Academy | Skills Infrastructure
EIT Culture & Creativity invites you to submit proposals for NEB Academy | Skills Infrastructure, designed to develop lifelong learning programmes that support the transformation of the lived environment.
This call focuses on creative, cross-sectoral skills initiatives that embed the New European Bauhaus values of sustainability, inclusivity and aesthetics into scalable educational frameworks.
Selected projects will address skills gaps in the building and lived environment ecosystem by developing practice-based learning offers for professionals, public bodies, education and training providers, and other relevant actors.
The call aims to build on existing assets and initiatives, connect regional ecosystems, and support financially sustainable learning models with long-term transformation potential.

New European Bauhaus is a long term partner of Cumulus.

Check and deadline extended to 11 Sep 26.

Deadline extended: Apply by 11 Sept 2026

28/08/2026

📍 Cumulus Think Tank Publication Grant open for applications!

Cumulus Association opens a call for the Cumulus Think Tank Publication Grant - its new funding instrument supporting the production and dissemination of original knowledge outputs by the Cumulus Working Groups and special projects!

The supported publications are to continue the established Cumulus Think Tank publication series, which has produced open-access resources exploring critical questions in art and design education and research.

The existing Think Tank publications are available for free on the Cumulus website https://cumulusassociation.org/resources/miscellaneous-publications/.

📆 The call is open on a rolling basis.

Read the full text of the call here https://cumulusassociation.org/calls-for-participation/cumulus-think-tank-publication-grant-open-for-applications/.

26/08/2026

Calling for projects: Get Out The Vote competition
by The One Club For Creativity.

📍 Get out the vote.

Use your creative talent to motivate a generation to show up and make their voice heard. Inspired by the midterm elections and 250th year retrospective in the United States, The One Club for Creativity is asking young people worldwide to get more civically engaged.

The competition is open to posters, social posts, activations, and more.

📆 Deadline: August 31, 2026 at 11:59pm PT-Los Angeles

Eligibility: Students and Recent Graduates (more details at https://getoutthevote.oneclub.org/)

Eight (8) winners will be awarded cash prizes up to $5000 each. This competition is open to students globally and is free to enter.

Questions? Email [email protected]

26/08/2026

Be our host in 2028!

Welcome the Cumulus community to your home university to create learning environments that foster engagement, networking, collaboration, and knowledge exchange about art and design education and research!

📣 Cumulus is calling for hosts of the Cumulus bi-annual conferences in 2028!

Cumulus conferences are non-profit in nature and developed with the goal of enriching the community and advancing the mission and values of the Association. While each Conference is characterized by the diverse make-up of people, culture, and region of the institution that is the host, all Cumulus conferences share a common vision.

Prepare your bid with our guidelines (https://cumulusassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Call-for-Cumulus-Conference-2028.pdf) and submit by 📆 August 31st!

Check out where Cumulus will be gathering before 2018 https://cumulusassociation.org/events/cumulus-conferences/.

26/08/2026

Nordes.Rovaniemi, Finland (Lapland) 26–28 April 2027
Building on two decades of Nordic Design Research Conferences, Nordes 2027 invites the community to Rovaniemi, Finland (Lapland) from April 26–28, 2027, for a pivotal gathering themed ‘Planetary Design.’ This event calls for contributions that prioritise planetary boundaries and life-centred design, placing the needs of all living beings—human and more-than-human—at the forefront.

Nordes 2027 emphasises the interdependence of human, technological, social, and ecological processes. We ask participants to reconsider their practices and research in light of ethical responsibility toward future generations and the wider web of life.

Join us in Rovaniemi to shape transformative design inquiry that responds to complex planetary challenges, fostering substantive change for a sustainable and equitable future.

As a new feature, Nordes in Rovaniemi will offer film and demo tracks.

The event will take place at the Faculty of Art and Design, University of Lapland.

https://ulapland.fi/en/event/nordes2027/

25/08/2026

Twenty-Second International Conference on Design Principles & Practices
Careful, Creative, Critical: Shaping Practice for Societal Impact
23-25 February 2028
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia + Online

The Design Principles & Practices Research Network offers an interdisciplinary forum to explore the meaning and purpose of design. In professional and disciplinary terms, the network traverses a broad sweep to construct a trans-disciplinary dialogue, which encompasses a wide array of design paradigms and practices.

The next conference features research addressing the following themes.

2028 Special Focus—Careful, Creative, Critical: Shaping Practice for Societal Impact
Theme 1: Design, Care, and Social Responsibility
Theme 2: Creative Practice, Materials, and Making
Theme 3: Technology, Systems, and Designed Futures
Theme 4: Sustainability, Place, and Public Life

Check and submit;

https://designprinciplesandpractices.com/2028-conference

20/08/2026

Call for Participation

📍 SDGs Design International Awards 2026
August.1 – September 15, 2026

The SDGs Design International Awards, organized primarily by the Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, aims to discover creative ideas from young people and utilize them for building a sustainable society.
Since its establishment in 2019, the award has been held annually, and this year marks its 8th edition.

■ Theme for 2026
“Sustainable and Inclusive Future”
This year presents “Sustainable and Inclusive Future” ideas envisioned by students around the world.

■ Sub-Themes
Theme 1. Resilient Cities, Communities and Inclusive Well-being
This theme includes disaster resilience, community co-creation, universal design, aging society, multicultural inclusion, and sustainable community development.
Theme 2. Sustainable Green Design and Climate Action
This theme connects cities, communities, and natural environments, including topics such as circular society, decarbonization, green infrastructure, biodiversity, and sustainable lifestyles.
Theme 3. Blue Sustainability: Oceans, Water and Future Ecology
This theme covers marine environments, water resources, coastal regions, ecosystem conservation, sustainable tourism, and circular lifestyles.
Theme 4. Others
Participants are welcome to propose other related topics freely.

■ Entry Guidelines
Application Period: August.1 (Sat) – September 15 (Tue), 2026
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled in universities, graduate schools, vocational institutions, or high schools worldwide who are interested in design (including working students)
Students from non-design disciplines are also encouraged to apply.
Categories: Graphic, product, service, fashion, architecture, urban planning, social issues, etc.
How to Apply: Please fill out the downloaded either Word or PDF format and send it to [email protected]

■ Timeline
Announcement of first review results: Early October 2026
Announcement of final review results: Late October 2026
International award ceremony: November 5, 2026

■ Awards
Gold Award (1 team): KRW 3,000,000+ Certificate
Silver Award (1 team): KRW 2,000,000 + Certificate
Bronze Award (1 team): KRW 1,000,000+ Certificate
Honorable Mention: E-Certificate
Special Award for High School Students: E-Certificate

■ Organizer
SDGs Design International Awards 2026 Committee
Faculty of Design, Kyushu University, Japan. Asia Design College Consortium (ADCC), Dongseo University, Korea

■Co-operation
Socialin

■ Contact
Japan ( SDGs Design Unit, Kyushu University Faculty of Design ) : [email protected]
Korea ( Asia Design College Consortium (ADCC), Dongseo University）: [email protected]

SDGs Design International Awards 2026 website https://www.sdgs-design-awards.com/en