Suitcase aficionados RIMOWA has launched its first Design Prize for 2023; an annual student competition that celebrates the country’s storied design heritage, while also inspiring and elevating young, aspiring creators.
The inaugural prize — which sees RIMOWA team up with some of Germany’s top design universities — opened back in October 2022, and asked all of it its participants to address the topic of mobility, a key element of RIMOWA’s ethos.
The German maison encouraged entrants to interpret this mobility theme in their own individual ways, by creating designs that both consider its global impact, as well as acknowledging RIMOWA’s tenets of resilience, excellence, and quality.
“Heritage, craftsmanship, and design are core values at RIMOWA, and it’s increasingly important for us to support and nurture the next generation who will be shaping the future legacy of German design,” explained CEO at RIMOWA, Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, who is also one of eight jury members alongside RIMOWA chairman, Alexandre Arnault.
The RIMOWA Design Prize has now come to a close through an award ceremony held in Berlin, which saw seven finalists whittled down to one winner by the jury.
Awarded first place was Noa Grgic, a student at ABK Stuttgart, who was mentored by designer Gesa Hansen for the program.
Grgic created the A.B.P app, an online shop for prosthetic accessories which not only showcases innovative and creative projects for prosthetic accessories but also allows its users to design customized accessories that cater to their personal needs.
The other students offered tough competition, with other projects including a universal tool that can be converted into different commodities from a load carrier to a shelter in order to fulfill mobility needs (designed by Jesse Jacobsen and Paul Meyer who were awarded second place), a fully sustainable light source produced from bioluminescent mushrooms and algae (designed by Bastian Hau and Jan-Marcel Voggenreiter), and a network of innovative public shelter units that can be placed inside natural parks and recreational areas (designed by Gunnar Kähler and Tjard Tensfeldt).
The winner of the prize has been awarded the sum of €20,000, the runner-up €10,000, with those in third, fourth, and fifth receiving €5,000, and those in sixth and seventh €2,500. Alongside funding and a mentorship programme, the prize also offers participants various networking opportunities, and a professional workplace to bring their respective visions to life.
Bonnet-Masimbert added: “We are excited for the first edition of the RIMOWA Design Prize. To offer the talented students at some of Germany’s best universities the opportunity to experiment and explore new possibilities with the help of amazing mentors.”
To see more about all the projects displayed, be sure to head over to the Rimowa Design Prize website.
