IED wins the Compasso d'Oro with The Glitch Camp

Fondazione Francesco Morelli proudly celebrates one of the most significant milestones in the history of IED — Istituto Europeo di Design: the Compasso d'Oro 2026 award in the Social Design category for the project The Glitch Camp, the first free urban campsite dedicated to design students during Milan Design Week.
A recognition that takes on an even deeper meaning as it arrives in the year of IED's 60th anniversary, founded in Milan in 1966 by Francesco Morelli and now grown into the largest European network of Art and Design schools, with 11 campuses across Italy, Spain and Brazil and a cultural hub in New York.

The Compasso d'Oro jury awarded The Glitch Camp, describing it as "a creative response to the issue of hospitality in major cities during extraordinary events; capable of activating practices of inclusion for young audiences, while embracing principles of sociability and democratic community-building". Launched in 2024 as a response to the housing crisis during Design Week, over three editions the project has hosted more than 1,000 "glitchers" from 45 different nationalities, turning a structural limitation into a tool for inclusion, socialisation and cultural exchange.

Alongside this prestigious recognition comes the Compasso d'Oro Young Certificate awarded to A occhi chiusi, a collection of inclusive games designed by students of the Product Design Bachelor's programme at IED Rome, conceived to stimulate learning and play through senses other than sight.
Two projects, one shared vision: Design for Life, IED's long-standing manifesto, which embodies the spirit with which Francesco Morelli founded this institution. "The Glitch Camp was born from a reflection developed within IED with the aim of building an accessible meeting platform for young people: an opportunity to come to Milan, listen to the voices of the design world, discover Design Week and truly meet, physically. Because meeting in person carries a value that goes beyond mere connection", said Riccardo Balbo, Academic Director of the IED Group and President of the Fondazione Francesco Morelli.

For Fondazione Francesco Morelli, seeing a project that places the common good at its core honoured with the most prestigious award in Italian design means seeing the vision of its founder fulfilled once again, today as much as ever: design as a tool at the service of people and society.