The Design Museum has released the longlist for its 5th annual Designs of the Year Awards.

In keeping with its pledge to recognise the best designs around the world, the award covers a respectable 7 categories: architecture, digital, fashion, furniture, graphics, products and transport.

Folly for a Flyover, London, UK by Assemble CIC

The wide-ranging list of nominees this year include the Olympic Torch 2012 for London by Barber Osgerby, the Duchess of Cambridge’s Wedding Dress by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, and a wind-propelled Landmine Detonator, which cost $40 to produce.

Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum, New York, USA

Nominations from Asia include Zaha Hadid’s Guangzhou Opera House, the Homeplus Tesco Virtual Store, South Korea, The Crates by Naihan Li & Co, China, and 132.5 by Miyake Design Studio, Japan.

The Crates, Beijing, China by Naihan Li & Co

Homeplus Tesco Virtual Store, Seoul, South Korea

The 7 category winners and overall Design of the Year will be announced on 24 April.

Yves Béhar, who won the inaugural Design of the Year in 2008 for his One Laptop per Child, continues his run of being nominated each year since the award’s inception. This time, it’s for his Jawbone JAMBOX wireless music speaker (below). Past top winners also include the Obama election poster (2009), a ‘folding’ plug (2010), and the Plumen Lightbulb (2011).

Jawbone JAMBOX wireless speaker by Yves Béhar

All the nominations will be on show at the Design Museum’s Designs of the Year exhibition from 8 February – 15 July 2012. For more information, visit designmuseum.org

Top image: Guangzhou Opera House, China by Zaha Hadid Architects