Designed in China is a groundbreaking furniture and product-design competition that will introduce a new generation of contemporary Chinese designers and products to the global marketplace. Organized by Reed Exhibitions, in collaboration with People¡¯s Architecture, a New York and Beijing-based nonprofit organization, the competition will invite designers from all over China, including Hong Kong and Macau, to submit designs of entirely new products. The winning entries will be fabricated as prototypes and displayed at 100% Design Shanghai from October 15-17, 2009, at the Shanghai Exhibition Center. In addition to cash prizes, one winner will then receive a one-year contract with retailer Design Republic to further develop their product, with an aim to put it in the marketplace. The major sponsors of DESIGNED IN CHINA will be announced in early 2009.
Spearheaded by the creative directors of 100% Design Shanghai, Tobias Wong and Aric Chen, the competition is open to any professional designer or design student of Chinese nationality (including Hong Kong and Macau), who is currently based in China. Both individual and group entries will be accepted. All submitted designs must fit within the area of interior design (furniture, lighting, textiles and wall coverings, tabletop and home accessories), and will be judged on strength of concept and functional and aesthetic innovation with a special consideration given to sustainability. Detailed rules and entrance form are available at www.100percentdesign.com.cn.
Applicants will be judged by an international panel of design industry professionals including: Giulio Cappellini, Creative Director, Cappellini (Milan); Alasdhair Willis, CEO of Established & Sons (London), Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu, co-founders of Neri & Hu Design and Research Office and Design Republic; Yves B¨¦har, principal of fuseproject (San Francisco and New York); Jiang Li, Associate Professor, School of Design, Central Academy of Fine Arts (Beijing); and Shaway Yeh, Editorial Director, Modern Media Group (Shanghai).
The competition will accept entries until April 1, 2009, with the winning designs announced online and at the Beijing Preview of 100% Design Shanghai, in June 2009. All winning designs and runners up will be displayed at 100% Design Shanghai.
Following a tremendously successful debut in June 2008, 100% Design Shanghai has since become the leading contemporary design fair in China, and will offer unprecedented international exposure to the competition¡¯s winners.
Applicants of DESIGNED IN CHINA are asked to submit recent and original works that go beyond the reinterpretation of traditional elements and motifs, and express Chinese concepts, sensibilities and modes of living in an innovative and internationally resonant manner. In short, they will be asked to address the questions: What can design contribute to Chinese society? And what can Chinese design contribute to the world?
A total of eighty (80) finalists will be selected and each will receive an honorary certificate. From these finalists, the judging panel will select twelve (12) winning designs to be exhibited at 100% Design Shanghai 2009. Among the finalists, both professional and student category will be awarded the following: One (1) Grand Prize of 20,000RMB, and One (1) Honorable Mention Prize of 10,000RMB. One (1) winner will be awarded a three-week exhibition and one-year contract to develop a new product through Design Republic, a leading international retailer of contemporary design.
