Dyson, Electrolux awards now open… - Top Stories

The long running James Dyson Award is co-funded by the British Council NZ and challenges young engineers and designers to develop problem-solving inventions. Previous winners have tackled problems ranging from a buoyancy aid inspired by a grenade launcher, to a kitchen tap which can tackle a fire in the home.

Design students, engineers and designers within 4 years of graduation are invited to enter their end of year projects or other inventions they have developed since graduating. The award, run in 18 countries, celebrates ingenuity and creativity with the overall international winner receiving £10,000 to develop their invention and £10,000 for their university.

Nicholas Couch, a graduate from Massey University, won the national award last year with his shoe designed for barefoot running (above). Previous New Zealand entries have included a prosthetic leg powered by magnets and a solar powered lawnmower.

Designers have until 2 August 2012 to submit footage, images and sketches of their ideas, along with stories detailing their design process and inspiration. The national winner will be announced in mid-August and the international winner on 8 November.

Also open for entry is Electrolux Design Lab’s 10th Anniversary challenge, “Design Experience”. A global annual design competition inviting students and recent graduates of industrial design to compete for a six-month paid internship and prize money by submitting ideas that develop the sensory experience of home appliances. This year the jury will also take special note of the aesthetic qualities of the concept and the way textures and surface materials have been used.

This year’s brief is “Design Experience” and challenges design students to draw inspiration from professional experience creators – such as chefs, architects, interior designers, hotel designers – to design home appliances that will provide a fuller sensory experience. It might be through state of the art technology or it might be through a clever blend of textures and surfaces.

8 Finalists will each be invited to participate in a final event in the autumn of 2012 held in Europe to present their individual concept to a jury of expert designers.

Last year was taken out by Slovakian Adrian Mankovecky's Spot design (see above), but Third Place went to Smoobo Blender (see below), a fun and environmentally friendly way of making smoothies, by Roseanne de Bruin from Massey University in New Zealand.