Design Academy Eindhoven unveils expanded Graduation Show for Dutch Design Week 2026

Design Academy Eindhoven will present its annual Graduation Show from 17 to 25 October 2026 during Dutch Design Week at Professor Doctor Dorgelolaan 2 in Eindhoven. Featuring more than 200 Bachelor's and Master's projects, the exhibition expands to four floors, introducing thematic pathways across its basement and gallery spaces alongside dedicated rooms for singular, world-building works. The return of the Arena provides a central forum for programmed discussions, workshops, and student-led debate, positioning the showcase as both a gallery of emerging talent and an active site for industry-relevant discourse.

This year’s graduate cohort focuses heavily on unresolved historical legacies, material residue, and systemic extraction, using sound, film, performance, and interactive systems to probe institutional responsibility and ongoing stewardship. In tandem with the exhibition, the academy has announced nominees for its Gijs Bakker, René Smeets, and Melkweg Awards, which recognize exceptional Master's and Bachelor's projects evaluated by an external industry jury. Winners will be announced during the opening ceremony, with each receiving 2,000 euros and a custom trophy created by alumnus Clara Schweers in collaboration with MAKE Eindhoven.

The showcase underscores a continued emphasis in design pedagogy on long-term commitment, iterative research, and critical engagement with material and social systems. To connect graduates directly with design professionals and institutional partners, the academy is running student-led guided tours, with a portion of proceeds directed toward funding DAE Alumni Association initiatives. By framing graduate work through themes of custodianship and systemic accountability, the institution reinforces the evolving role of design education in preparing practitioners to navigate complex contemporary industries.