Page 17 of the RECF guide to judging states:
• To be in consideration for the Design Award at the World Championship, teams are required to have earned the Excellence or Design Award at an event which is directly qualifying teams to the World Championship. Exceptions to this requirement may be made based on geographic circumstances.
Page 19 of the RECF guide to judging states:
The team who earns the Innovate Award should be among the top contenders for the Design Award.
If a team does not win the design award at a worlds qualifying event, are they still in consideration for the innovate award at worlds despite not being a contender for design award?