Designing Resilience: GDA 2026 Announces Design Thinking Award Winners

As global markets continue to react to shifting geopolitical dynamics following the May summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, uncertainty remains a defining feature of 2026. Stock market volatility, economic realignments, and geopolitical tensions have not only affected financial systems but have also reflected a deeper concern felt by communities around the world.

Against this backdrop, the Global Direction Awards (GDA) is proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Design Thinking Award—three projects that demonstrate how human-centered innovation can transform everyday challenges into meaningful opportunities for social resilience, sustainability, and community connection.

Led by Inês Carvalho, Tiago Almeida, Mariana Lopes, Diogo Fernandes, and project leader Sofia Matos, the Tool Library Network reimagines access to agricultural, repair, and technical equipment in rural Portugal.

Instead of encouraging individual ownership, the initiative creates a shared borrowing system connecting villages through a central hub and satellite pickup points. By combining community sharing, vocational education, and circular economy principles, the project improves resource efficiency while supporting local entrepreneurship, learning opportunities, and economic resilience.

Created by Elena Rusu, Ion Cojocaru, and Andrei Munteanu, The Empty Chair Project transforms ordinary public seating into invitations for conversation and social participation.

As Moldova navigates demographic shifts and its path toward greater European integration, the project addresses growing social isolation by encouraging spontaneous dialogue in cafés, libraries, markets, and community spaces. Through a simple visual marker, an empty chair becomes a symbol of openness, connection, and civic engagement.

Developed by Amira Ben Youssef, Youssef Trabelsi, Leila Hammami, and Karim Ben Salem, this initiative tackles waste generation and limited repair accessibility through a community-driven circular design system.

The project, Repair • Reuse • Recycle, connects citizens, repair workshops, and student designers to extend product lifecycles through structured repair, reuse, and recycling pathways. By elevating local repair knowledge and creating accessible sustainability networks, the initiative demonstrates how circular economies can emerge from grassroots participation rather than top-down infrastructure.

The GDA international jury noted that this year's winners share a common strength: they do not rely on expensive technologies or large-scale investments. Instead, they reveal the power of design thinking to unlock value from resources that already exist within communities.

“During periods of geopolitical uncertainty, people often focus on what is lacking. These projects remind us to focus on what is already available—skills, relationships, knowledge, and underutilized assets,” the jury stated.

The jury further emphasized that the winning projects showcase a new generation of design leadership, where innovation is measured not only by novelty but by its ability to strengthen trust, participation, and resilience.

As the world continues to navigate economic fluctuations and geopolitical change, the 2026 Design Thinking Award winners demonstrate that some of the most powerful solutions begin with simple observations and a commitment to improving everyday life.

Additional information and winner profiles can be found at the official GDA winners page: Global Direction Awards Winners.