The HKDA Awards has been one of the most established cross-disciplinary design competitions in the Asia-Pacific region organised by HKDA since 1975. To embrace the development of the design industry and the best designs worldwide, HKDA Awards was revamped to become HKDA Global Design Awards (HKDA GDA) in 2011 and welcome entries from all over the world. It is not simply a design competition to honour global design excellence, but also acts as an engine to energise a series of events as a yearlong campaign that aims to promote Hong Kong designs internationally and to enhance Hong Kong as one of the major creative hubs in Asia-Pacific.

HKDA GDA2013 features 14 renowned design experts serving as jury members, and has received thousands of submissions from 40 countries, including Mainland China, USA, Britain, Germany, Spain, Austria, Italy, Slovakia, Sweden, Poland, Oman, Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Macau, and Hong Kong. The theme of the awards, "THE DESIGN ISSUE," goes beyond a traditional design competition. Designers are encouraged to share their perspectives on identity, position, creativity, and beliefs through statements on the HKDA GDA2013 website and official social media platforms such as Facebook, Weibo, and Twitter. This allows for the exchange of ideas and the creation of a valuable global archive of designers' thoughts.