SDF 2026: IN[FLUX] – Call for Proposals Now Open

The Seattle Design Festival (SDF) is excited to announce our Call for Proposals for the 2026 Festival! As we celebrate the 16th anniversary of SDF, we invite designers, artists, community organizations, and creative thinkers to explore our theme: IN[FLUX].

About the Theme

Seattle is a city in a state of transition. Cultural shifts, ecological change, new technologies, and changing communities reshape the places we inhabit every day. Design does not exist outside of this movement — it responds to it, questions it, and helps guide what comes next.

The 2026 Seattle Design Festival theme, IN[FLUX], recognizes that we are living in a moment of transition. Flux suggests movement, instability, and possibility all at once. It reflects the ways our city is evolving and the role design can play in navigating change.

This year’s theme invites designers, artists, community members, and thinkers to explore four lenses within this shared framework:

• IN[FLUX]  How can design respond to constant change and uncertainty?
• IN[HABIT]  How do our routines, behaviors, and systems shape the way we live?
• IN[FORM]  How do ideas take physical shape through design, materials, and space?
• IN[TENSION]  How can design engage conflict, difference, and competing priorities?

Together, these lenses explore the forces that shape our city: movement and stability, structure and experimentation, agreement and disagreement. Through installations, conversations, and experiences across Seattle, the Festival invites our community to examine how design operates within these conditions and how it can help us imagine what comes next.

Ways to Participate

We are soliciting proposals for three Festival elements at the SDF Block Party (August 15 & 16):

Mainstage Program
– Format: talks, performances, skill shares, or films
– Duration: 15-30 min (plus 30-minute max setup)

Pop-Up Experience
– Format: Hands-on outdoor activities, informal talk, or thought-provoking demonstration
– Duration: Less than 4 hours (plus 30-minute max load-in/out)

Built Installation
– Format: Temporary outdoor structures designed to engage the public
– Duration: Full weekend (18 hours + load-in on August 14 and load-out after 7pm on August 16)
– Commitment Level: Highest

Key Dates & Deadlines

May 27, 5pm PT: Call for Proposals Closes
June 5: Notification of Festival Acceptance
June 15: Final Marketing Material Edits Due
August 14: Built Installation Load-In at Lake Union Park
August 15-20: 2025 Seattle Design Festival!

Accessibility & Inclusion

We are committed to an accessible and inclusive Festival. All proposals should consider accessibility holistically to create experiences where everyone feels welcome to participate. Please consider how you might engage participants with diverse abilities and experiences, including accommodations for language, color contrast, physical ability, and multiple sensory engagement.

Questions?

1. Review the Call for Proposals to find information about submission fees, funding support, and design parameters for each element:

Call for Proposals

2. Join us at one of our Spring Design Mixers to connect directly with the Festival Planning Team:
– April 9: citizenM SLU
– May 7: citizenM Pioneer Square
– May 19: Adobe Seattle 

3. Check out past Festival experiences, featured on the SDF YouTube Channel.