Guidance Notes

A) For individuals, the applicant must be a Hong Kong permanent resident and possess a valid Hong Kong 3-star ID card;
B) For design companies or design-applying enterprises, the applicant must be incorporated in Hong Kong and hold a valid Business Registration Certificate. There is no age-limit and eligibility is not limited to design practitioners.

The Applications are open from 12 March 2025 to 11 March 2026. The specified awards in scheme A and B are eligible for application throughout the claim period, from 1 July 2023 to 11 March 2026. Award fees will be reimbursed from 12 March 2025 to 11 March 2026, and the reimbursement claim for award fees for specified awards will be allowed once after award announcement is released within the eligible period. There will be no retrospective approval for reimbursement claim in respect of awards obtained before the project entries period (i.e. 1 July 2023). Applications will be processed on a "first-come-first-served” basis, in the order they are received, based on the submission date of the application form. If the required information for the application is missing, eg. flight ticket details, a 1-month period will be allowed for participants to supplement the missing information. Reimbursement will continue until the fund has run out. The eligible reimbursement items, specific awards, maximum reimbursement amounts, and the number of applications and claims allowed differ between Scheme A and Scheme B. Applicants are advised to review the specific guidance and details provided under each scheme for accurate reference.

Amendment to any information after submission of the application form must be submitted to the Hong Kong Designers Association in writing no later than 7 days before the closing date for applications. The applicant will be notified in writing or by email if additional information is required to process the applications. Applicants who do not hear from the Hong Kong Designers Association three months after the closing date for application may consider their applications unsuccessful.

Reimbursement will be processed within 3 months after the application is considered successful.  Since the project is government-funded under CreateSmart Initiative  (“CSI”) governance, by submitting their application, the applicants understand that this project operates under the supervision of the HKSAR Government, and agrees the reimbursement schedule will be followed by the actual payment schedule of CSI funding issued by the HKSAR Government. A successful applicant will receive 70% of the reimbursement in the preliminary round of examination. The last phase of payment will be settled within 6 - 9 months once the project funds from CSI are received.

All past applicants of the Sponsorship for International Design Award (SIDA) Scheme are eligible to apply for sponsorship under the 4th SIDA program again. However, applicants who have received sponsorship in both the 2nd SIDA (2020) and 3rd SIDA (2021/22) editions will have their sponsorship/funding level reduced from 100% to 50% of the claim amount under this 4th SIDA edition if they submit the same product/design work for sponsorship for a third time. 

Information, details and materials submitted will not be returned.

Applicants who receive support from the scheme are required to showcase their works at the SIDA exhibition as part of the program's obligations. By submitting their applications, applicants agree to lawfully license the HKDA the intellectual property rights for the use of their works for the stated purposes. The applicant agree to waive all rights and claims for any consideration, fees, royalties, charges, and/or other payments in relation to the HKDA's use, disclosure, adoption, and/or modification of their works.

Applicants must ensure that all information and files submitted with their applications are accurate and truthful. By submitting their applications, applicants confirm that the information provided is correct and agree to supply any required supporting documents to assist the project team in processing and verifying their applications. If there are any material changes to the information provided and/or application, the applicants are expected to inform the HKDA immediately. 

The Hong Kong Designers Association reserves the right to withdraw the application at any stage, if an applicant is found to have provided any false or misleading information or withheld any material information.

All data collected from the applications for the 4th edition of Sponsorship for International Design Award Scheme will be used by the Hong Kong Designers Association for processing applications, project promotion and other strictly related purposes in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486). The provision of personal data by the applicant is voluntary. In relation to personal data belonging to you, you acknowledge and consent that it may be disclosed to other persons for purposes mentioned above. 

The applicant has the right to request access to and/or correction of personal data provided, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486).

By submitting an application for the scheme, applicants automatically agree to receive updates, news, and promotional materials from the Sponsorship for International Design Award Scheme (SIDA) and the Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA). Applicants may opt out of receiving such communication at any time by contacting the HKDA directly.

The Hong Kong Designers Association (HKDA), as the organizer of the Sponsorship for International Design Award Scheme, reserves the final right and authority to interpret, amend, and make all decisions regarding the project, including but not limited to application eligibility, sponsorship allocation, and related matters. For the avoidance of doubt, all decisions made by HKDA shall be final and binding on all applicants.

In case of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the English and Chinese version of the guidance notes and the English version shall prevail. The Chinese translation of this document is for reference only. 

These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the HKSAR. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of HKSAR.

The failure of the HKDA to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any of these Participation Terms and Conditions is found by a court of a competent jurisdiction to be invalid, you, as the applicant, agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the intentions of the HKDA as reflected in these Terms and Conditions, and the other provisions of these Terms and Conditions shall remain in full force and effect.