Kilkenny-based Equimetrics wins inaugural Design Excellence Award
A Kilkenny-based company has been crowned the very first winner of the inaugural Design Excellence Award as part of Irish Design Week - with wearable tech platform for racehorse trainers.
Frank Long and Equimetrics have won the inaugural Irish Design Excellence Award (IDEA) in Kilkenny, with “S-PRO”, a wearable technology platform designed to give racehorse trainers insights into performance, fitness and recovery, by EquiMetrics and Frontend.com.
The winner was announced at the National Design & Craft Gallery in Kilkenny on Saturday, November 7, 2026.
The €15,000 Jury Prize was presented as part of DCCI Irish Design Week 2026. Established by Design & Crafts Council Ireland in partnership with the National Museum of Ireland, the award celebrates excellence, innovation and impact in contemporary Irish design.
The winning project is among nine shortlisted works on show at the National Design & Craft Gallery until January 23, 2027.
This is the fifth year of Design Week and events take place across the second week in November.
Head of Design at DCCI and Programme Director of Irish Design Week is local man Tom Watts.
“I‘m really excited about the new Design Excellence Awards,” Tom says of this year’s new event recognising contemporary Irish design. He played a key role in the inauguration of the jury prize competition. “A great way to educate people about the great design in Ireland that is happening right now.”
When making the award selections Tom says “it genuinely felt historic.” It encompasses a broad range of different disciplines, from animation to UX/UI design and architecture. “It’s wonderful to see the standard of work that’s been put forward.”
Nominees for the award were selected by their industry bodies, which is a really great way to do it, Tom said and it lead to a super cross-section of Irish design represented.
Tom explained that the Irish Design Award is something DCCI developed with the Nationa Museum of Ireland. DCCI has always collaborated with the museum for the purchase of crafts but this is the beginning of a similar programme for design “which is very cool and a great accolade for the people who are going to be acquired,” Tom said.