HFDA Seeks Curator for Hungarian Showcase at Milan Design Week 2026

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency launches an open call for applications for curators to design the concept for the Budapest Select collective Hungarian presence at Milan Design Week. The Agency is organising a national showcase at the world’s leading design event for the fourth time, strengthening the international positioning of Hungarian creative industries and contributing to the export opportunities of Hungarian products.

Milan Design Week, held yearly in Milan, is the most important forum of the international design scene, with thousands of exhibitors presenting the latest directions in furniture design, interior design, and applied and fine arts. The central theme of the Italian event series, to be held from 20–26 April 2026, is “BE THE PROJECT”, placing humans in the centre of change and interpreting design as a continuously transforming process, opening new perspectives in the relationship between people, objects, and the environment. The selected curator will be tasked with creating a professionally and visually outstanding exhibition concept reflecting on this motto and participating in its implementation.

The HFDA primarily invites applications from professionals who are developing a comprehensive concept that both aligns with the curatorial theme of this year’s Milan Design Week and authentically and sensitively represents the diversity of the Hungarian design and art scene. It is essential that the concept clearly presents, as a central element, the collective showcasing of the Hungarian design industry under a shared umbrella, emphasising both the cultural embeddedness of Hungarian design and the international relevance of local design thinking.

Applicants are required to have curatorial or exhibition design experience in the fields of product design, applied arts, or fine arts. The submissions will be evaluated by an advisory board composed of renowned professionals, whose guidance plays a decisive role in the selection process. The winning curator will take an active role in the selection of the exhibited works and in the professional realisation of the exhibition, in collaboration with the architecture studio to be selected later.

The exhibition will take place in the 5Vie Design District in Milan, one of the most prestigious venues of Design Week.

Deadline for submissions: midnight, 11 November 2025.

The HFDA announced a curatorial call for applications for the latest exhibition in 2025, the winning concept of which provided 24 Hungarian designers with debuting opportunities under Budapest Select. The appearance generated significant international professional and media attention, proving that Hungarian design is competitive at the forefront of the international scene, while creating tangible opportunities for entering global markets and building professional connections.

The detailed call for applications and requirements are available HERE. The Privacy Notice is available HERE.