The fourteenth edition of the awards is one again characterised by significant innovations. Since 2006, the Best Product Award was replaced by a group of quality labels for best products, given to products that are marketed by a Flemish design company and/or a Flemish designer.
Johan Valcke was appointed director of Design Flanders in 1992. In that function he founded the Henry van de Velde Awards. He also founded the Design Flanders Gallery, the Triennials for Design and established the design magazine Kwintessens. He was elected to the Board of WCC-Europe and the Board of BEDA. Today, he remains active in the sounding board group for Design Museum Gent, the general assembly of HISK Gent and the purchasing committee of DIVA Antwerp. In 2018 he opened his gallery VALCKE Art Gallery.