How curation works

From midnight Monday IST, designers can submit pieces marked ‘available for recognition’ into that week’s cycle. Submissions close Monday 23:59 IST. One free per month per designer; ₹299 paid extras beyond.

Three editors review every submitted piece. They look at the work, the story, the craft, and whether the maker is doing something only they could do. They don’t look at likes, save counts, or follower lists — those signals aren’t even visible at the curation stage.

By 9 AM Tuesday IST, five to ten pieces are shortlisted publicly at /shortlist. The shortlist exists so designers can see they were considered. It also makes the pick legible — people can see what came close.

One piece is named Designer of the Week. The curator writes a 100–300 word note explaining the choice — what they saw, what they admire, what makes this piece a thesis. The note is published with the winner page.

The winner is featured on the homepage and in the Tuesday newsletter for seven days. At the end of the month, four weekly winners are considered for Designer of the Month. Twelve monthly winners are considered for Designer of the Year by a guest jury at year-end.

No engagement scoring. No paid placement. No editorial pick from someone you’ve worked with personally without disclosure. If an editor has a conflict of interest with a submitter, they recuse from that cycle’s curation.

You can submit the same piece again next week. Many winners have been picked on their third or fourth try. The point isn’t to be perfect — it’s to keep showing the work.