Open Call for go go NEXT Emerging Retail Design Challenge

Deadline: 02-Nov-2026

The go go NEXT Emerging Retail Design Challenge is an international design competition inviting undergraduate and graduate students to create an innovative modular retail fixture system for an original lifestyle fashion brand. The challenge is open to students worldwide studying retail planning, visual merchandising, interior design, architecture, branding, graphic design, UX/UI design, industrial design, and related disciplines. Participants must develop a modular fixture system for an original lifestyle fashion brand focused on apparel, bags, shoes, or accessories. The proposed concept must be designed for a 250-square-foot shop-in-shop or pop-up environment, with the fixtures themselves serving as the central focus of the design. The winner will receive a $5,000 USD cash prize, round-trip airfare and hotel accommodation in New York City, a daily meal allowance, an invitation to the go go party NYC, and formal recognition at the PAVE Global Gala.

About the go go NEXT Emerging Retail Design Challenge

The competition is designed to encourage the next generation of retail designers to explore how creativity, functionality, sustainability, and customer experience can work together in a retail environment. Rather than focusing only on the appearance of a retail space, the challenge places the modular fixture system at the center of the project. Students are expected to consider how their fixture concepts can support: - Product merchandising - Customer experience - Efficient use of space - Material selection - Sustainability - Manufacturing - Shipping - Assembly - Adaptability - Retail functionality The competition provides students with an opportunity to develop a practical retail design concept while demonstrating creative and technical thinking. What Is the Design Brief? Participants must conceptualize and design a modular retail fixture system for an original lifestyle fashion brand. The fictional or original brand should focus on one or more lifestyle fashion product categories, including: - Apparel - Bags - Shoes - Accessories The fixture system must be designed for a 250-square-foot shop-in-shop or pop-up environment. The challenge is not simply to design a visually attractive store. Participants should show how their fixture system can function effectively within a real-world retail context. What Should Students Consider in Their Designs? The competition brief encourages participants to balance creative design with practical retail requirements.

Important considerations include:

- Merchandising - Customer experience - Materials - Sustainability - Manufacturing - Shipping - Assembly - Adaptability Students should demonstrate how the fixture system can respond to changing retail requirements while maintaining a strong visual identity. The modular nature of the system should be central to the concept, allowing the fixtures to potentially adapt to different retail needs and configurations. Who Can Apply? The competition is open to undergraduate and graduate students worldwide. Applicants must be currently enrolled students studying a relevant design-related discipline.

Eligible fields include:

- Retail planning - Visual merchandising - Interior design - Architecture - Branding - Graphic design - UX/UI design - Industrial design - Related design disciplines Students from different design backgrounds can participate as long as their field is relevant to the competition brief. Can Students Enter as a Team? No. The challenge accepts individual entries only. Each submission must therefore be developed and submitted by an individual student rather than a team. What Documentation Is Required? A current transcript is required for pre-registration. Students should ensure that their transcript demonstrates their current enrollment status and relevant academic information. Applicants should also make sure their design submission clearly communicates the concept, modular fixture system, and relationship between the fixtures and the proposed lifestyle fashion brand. What Does the Winner Receive? The winning student will receive a comprehensive prize and professional experience package.

The prize includes:

- $5,000 USD cash prize - Round-trip airfare to New York City - Hotel accommodations in New York City - Daily meal allowance - Invitation to the go go party NYC - Formal recognition at the PAVE Global Gala The combination of financial support, travel, and industry recognition makes the competition an opportunity for students to gain visibility beyond their academic environment. What Additional Professional Opportunities Are Available? Beyond the cash prize and travel package, the winner will have opportunities to connect with professionals across the retail design industry. These opportunities include connections with: - Leading retail designers - Retail fixture manufacturers - Fashion and retail brands - Industry professionals - Challenge partners The winner will also receive recognition through the challenge partners, helping provide additional exposure for their work and emerging professional profile. Why Is the Competition Important for Emerging Designers? The go go NEXT Emerging Retail Design Challenge gives students an opportunity to address a real-world design problem while considering both creative and commercial requirements. Retail fixture design requires more than visual creativity. Designers must understand how products are displayed, how customers move through a space, how materials perform, how fixtures are manufactured and transported, and how systems can adapt to changing requirements. By bringing these considerations together, the challenge encourages students to demonstrate the type of multidisciplinary thinking that is valuable in professional retail and consumer environment design. How to Create a Strong Competition Concept Students should ensure that the fixture system remains the central element of their proposal. A strong concept should clearly communicat