Beyond Desk

World Desk Setup Festival · Open call

WDSF 2027 open call

The World Desk Setup Festival's 2027 open call. Real workspaces from anywhere, judged on a public rubric, every entry kept on record.

Opens 27 Oct 2026

Presented with

1 host · 11 award partners · 6 returning, 5 new

The festival · hostFounder & host of the World Desk Setup Festival.

Partner awards · awards to be announced

Returning · 6

  • Award to be announced, presented with BenQ
  • Award to be announced, presented with OBSBOT
  • Award to be announced, presented with Divoom
  • Award to be announced, presented with AngryMiao
  • Award to be announced, presented with Nanoleaf
  • Award to be announced, presented with TRYX

New in 2027 · 5

  • Award to be announced, presented with InftyLab
  • Award to be announced, presented with Wallhack
  • Award to be announced, presented with Cololight
  • Award to be announced, presented with LiberNovo
  • Award to be announced, presented with EDIFIER HECATE

Timeline

all times UTC+8

  1. 01 · Submissions open27 Oct 2026
  2. 02 · Submissions close31 May 2027, 23:59 UTC+8
  3. 03 · Judgingafter submissions close
  4. 04 · Resultspublished on this page

Awards

3 core · 11 partner

Hexcal core awards · judged by Hexcal, the organizer

  • Desk Setup of the Year 2027For the desk where function, structure and look work as one, and the whole setup serves the way its owner works.
  • Hexcal Rising Star AwardFor a first-time entrant whose desk already makes clear how they work and why it's set up this way.
  • AI Workflow AwardNew in 2027For the desk where AI is genuinely part of the work, and the setup has been rearranged around it.

How entries are judged

Read the full rubric

four base dimensions, every award

  • Work-Mode FitWhether the setup serves a workflow we can describe and check against the entry's own materials — not whether it looks suited to work.weight 30%
  • Spatial NarrativeHow the space expresses the relationship between the person and the place they work in.weight 25%
  • Craft & ExecutionHow completely the design intent is carried through — cable routing, assembly, material consistency — independent of budget.weight 20%
  • AuthenticityWhether the entry is verifiable: a real, in-use space, unedited by AI generation, matching its own description. A score of 1 disqualifies the entry.weight 25%

How to enter

  1. Real photographs only — no CG renders, no AI-generated images.
  2. Your own workspace: the desk you actually work at.
  3. Sign in, then a 5-step form: Photos · You & the place · Your gear · In your words · Review & submit.

Questions

Does it cost anything to enter?

No. Entering is free — there is no payment step.

Who can enter?

Anyone, anywhere, entering their own workspace. You sign in with your email before the form opens.

What photos do you accept?

Real photographs of your own workspace — no CG renders, no AI-generated images. Up to 12 photos, JPEG, PNG or WebP, 10 MB each. Location data is removed from every photo before it is published.

What happens after I submit?

Each entry is reviewed by hand before it is published as a setup in the registry. Judging starts after submissions close.

Where will the results be?

On this page, once judging is complete. Earlier editions are on record on the WDSF hub.