Accessibility Statement
Accessibility Statement (European Accessibility Act / EAA)
German Design Award – german-design-award.com
The German Design Award is committed to ensuring that its digital services are accessible in accordance with the requirements of the European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) and applicable national implementations, including the German Accessibility Enhancement Act (BFSG).
This accessibility statement applies to: www.german-design-award.com
1. Description of the service
The website provides information about the German Design Award and related activities. This includes content such as competition categories, participation requirements, jury information, winners, events, deadlines, and related editorial and informational content.
The website also provides links to external digital services operated separately by the German Design Council. These include the submission and participation portal used for registration, login, project submission, and file upload processes. These transactional services are provided via a separate technical system.
2. Applicable legal and technical requirements
This website is designed in accordance with:
- Directive (EU) 2019/882 (European Accessibility Act)
- EN 301 549 (Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services)
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, Level AA
- German Accessibility Enhancement Act (BFSG) and associated regulation (BFSGV)
These standards define requirements for perceivability, operability, understandability, and robustness of digital content and services.
3. Conformance status
This website is partially conformant with the above accessibility requirements.
The assessment is based on a combination of automated testing tools and manual evaluation of key user journeys.
Continuous improvements are being made to enhance the accessibility and usability of the website.
4. Assessment method and technical evaluation
Accessibility is evaluated through a combination of automated and manual testing methods.
Automated testing
The website has been assessed using the Google Lighthouse Accessibility Audit. The current Lighthouse accessibility score is approximately 95%.
This score is based on automatically testable criteria such as:
- colour contrast ratios
- semantic HTML structure
- form labelling
- ARIA attributes
The Lighthouse score is used as a technical reference indicator only and does not represent full conformance with WCAG 2.2 or EN 301 549 requirements, as many criteria require manual evaluation.
Manual accessibility evaluation
Manual testing is conducted based on WCAG 2.2 (Level AA) principles, covering the following areas:
Perceivability
- sufficient colour contrast between foreground and background elements
- readable font sizes and responsive text scaling (up to 200% and beyond)
- clear visual hierarchy using structured headings
- alternative text for meaningful images
Operability
- full keyboard accessibility across core navigation and interactions
- visible focus indicators for interactive elements
- logical focus order throughout pages and forms
- avoidance of keyboard traps or unintended interaction barriers
Understandability
- consistent navigation and interface structure
- clear labelling of links, buttons, and form fields
- understandable and accessible error messages (where applicable)
Robustness
- compatibility with modern browsers
- support for assistive technologies such as screen readers
- use of semantically correct HTML to ensure reliable interpretation by assistive technologies
5. Overall evaluation approach
The accessibility assessment is based on a combined methodology:
- automated testing (including Lighthouse)
- manual testing of representative user journeys
- alignment with WCAG 2.2 (Level AA) and EN 301 549
Automated testing tools can only evaluate a subset of accessibility requirements. Therefore, manual testing is always required to ensure a more complete assessment of real user accessibility.
6. Feedback and contact information
If you encounter any accessibility barriers on this website, or if you require information in an accessible format, please contact us:
German Design Award
gda@gdc.de
+49 69 24 74 48 688
Further contact: www.german-design-award.com/en/contact
>> Please include as much detail as possible, including the relevant page or function. We aim to respond to accessibility feedback in a timely manner.
7. Market surveillance authority
The responsible market surveillance authority is:
Market Surveillance Authority of the Federal States for the Accessibility of Products and Services (MLBF)
8. Statement preparation
Date of preparation: 2 June 2026
Last updated: 2 June 2026
Basis of assessment: internal accessibility evaluation supported by automated and manual testing methods (including Lighthouse and WCAG-oriented testing)