2011 AUSTRALIAN DESIGN AWARD

Thursday, 27 January 2011

2011 AUSTRALIAN DESIGN AWARD-JAMES DYSON AWARD REVEALS NEXT CROP OF POTENTIAL AUSTRALIAN DESIGN HEROES

The 2011 Australian Design Awards-James Dyson Award (ADA-JDA) has once again been inundated with entries, with 93 industrial design graduates submitting their product innovations into the prestigious annual program.

The high number of entrants again this year is a clear indication of the continued appeal the program holds for graduates looking to establish their design credentials in Australia and abroad.

As the student category of the Australian International Design Awards (AIDA), the ADA-JDA provides Australian graduates the opportunity to submit their final year design projects for review by a panel of industry judges. The ADA-JDA Winner is announced alongside industry winners at the Australian International Design Awards Presentation Ceremony in July 2011.

Last year Samuel Adeloju, a Finalist in the 2010 ADA-JDA, was subsequently announced as the winner of the global James Dyson Award. With this recent success, the spotlight now falls on this year’s crop of entries, with the international design industry keen to see if Australia can once again take out the global award.

This year’s hopeful graduates introduce to the market a variety of unique product designs from categories such as medicine, sport, transport, trade and disability assistance.

Entries range from a spider-like fire protection unit that uses thermal imaging technology and robotics to detect, locate and put out small fires on-the-spot, to a compact combination steam washer/dryer for small urban living spaces that eliminates the need for bulky laundry appliances. With such an abundance and variety of entries, the judges will have no shortage of breakthrough concepts to choose from.

A key highlight of this year’s entries is the significant number of projects aimed towards emergency services and world aid, with 16% of total entries submitted falling into these two categories alone. A trend that highlights the growing consideration and community-oriented focus of students who, with their growing skills and knowledge, are hoping to deliver product concepts that can make a real difference.

“As the student category grows in popularity each year, we receive more and more designs of outstanding and promising quality – this year being no exception”, says Brandon Gien, Managing Director of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Australian International Design Awards.

“The ADA-JDA opens a unique window of opportunity for all entrants and also allows us to extend the AIDA’s vision of recognising and promoting design and innovation excellence to a new generation of young designers.”

Commenting on the quality of entries received in this year’s program, Managing Director of Dyson SEA, Ross Cameron, is hopeful.

“Following on from an Australian student taking out the global round of the James Dyson Award last year, and judging by the high calibre of entries I have already seen, I’m in high spirits about our chances this year.

By discovering and nurturing the talent of local students through the ADA-JDA, we have been able to further cement Australia’s position as a worthy contender in the international design arena,” states Mr Cameron.

Entries in the 2011 Australian Design Award – James Dyson Award closed in December 2010. The 2011 Finalists will be announced in March with the winners announced at the Australian International Design Awards Presentation Ceremony in Melbourne on Friday 22nd July, 2011.

Further information: http://student.designawards.com.au