The essence of design award lies in the curation of outstanding design cases. Through the organizational mechanisms established by award organizers, it can serve as an exceptional platform for knowledge exchange, dissemination, and innovation. This paper introduces the concept of Design Award Knowledge Network (DAKN), taking Design Intelligence Award (DIA) for example, elucidates the collaborative mechanisms of knowledge dissemination and innovation within the DAKN, notably facilitated through the D·will Lecture and DI Project Workshops. Additionally, surveys were conducted among faculty and students participating in the series of events initiated by DIA. The findings underscore the prominent advantage of a ‘stimulative policy environment’ within this network, while revealing the need for improvements in the ‘accessibility of knowledge resources.’ This paper proposes that enhancing the vitality of DAKN rely on the diversification of knowledge, interdisciplinary approaches, and organizational collaboration. This entails the aggregation of talent from various universities, institutions, and enterprises to establish collaborative innovation teams. Through collaborative governance, the integration of diverse foundational capabilities, data information, and tool skills from various stakeholders should be orchestrated to achieve effectiveness in knowledge exchange.