The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) is calling for entries for the much anticipated Furniture Design Award (FDA) 2009 and registration is now open.
This year, participants in the Students and Young Designers categories are given free reign with their furniture creations as there will not be any given theme, unlike in previous years.
Mr Andrew Pang, Chairman of the FDA 2009 Organising Committee, said, "For FDA 2009, students and young designers are given a chance to design furniture pieces which best reflects their design capability. Understanding that students and young designers require more leeway for exploration, we have decided to give them a chance to fully stretch their imaginations by not setting a theme for 2009. Over the years, we've seen FDA participants rise to the occasion and submit themed works that are innovative and exciting, and for 2009, they will have the absolute freedom to create without boundaries."
"The steadily increasing participation over the years at FDA shows that emerging designers believe it is a great platform to showcase their talents and network with industry players." added Mr Simon Ong, Chairman of the Design Development Committee for SFIC.
FDA 2009 consists of three categories. The Open Category works on a company basis, seeking participants from all over the world with entries that have already been manufactured and launched commercially in the market; the Young Designers Category caters to participants from the Asia Pacific region, aged 35 years and below as of 9 March 2009; and the Students Category is open to all full-time students from educational institutions in the ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam).
Since the inception of the Awards in 1993, FDA has seen encouraging growth in the number of participants each year. FDA 2008 saw a 41% increase of participants with a total of 530 entries from 12 different countries, namely Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.
In addition, SFIC will provide mentoring sessions for all the finalists in the Students Category. Industry players will be invited to act as mentors for these finalists, and guide them through the production of their prototypes for the final judging. With these mentoring sessions, the students will be exposed to the full industrial process of bringing their designs to life.
Entries to FDA 2009 will be judged by a panel of prominent industry personalities and renowned international designers on creativity, marketability and functionality, including aspects of environmental-friendliness and ergonomics.
The closing date for the Students and Young Designers categories is 29 August 2008 and the Open Category is 15 December 2009, before 5pm Singapore time. The finals will be held on 6 March 2009, with the results announced on the same day.
Entries in the Students and Young Designers categories will vie for the FDA Merit, FDA Honourable Mention and FDA Grand Awards. An additional award for the best use of a given material will also be presented to a participant from the Students and Young Designers categories. Entries in the Open Category will compete for the FDA Honourable Mentions and FDA Grand Award. Winners for FDA 2009 will stand to receive a certificate and trophy and up to S$6,000 in cash.
With career development of students and young designers being the key driver for FDA, SFIC is constantly on the lookout for opportunities to introduce the winners to the industry. Winners in the Students and Young Designers categories can also participate in SFIC's Designer Co-development Programme to win a 12-month internship contract with some of Singapore's most prominent furniture manufacturers. At the end of this internship, the winners will get to produce at least one design of their own and be invited to showcase their designs at PLATFORM 2009, which is held in conjunction with Asia's premier design-led furniture trade exhibition, the International Furniture Fair Singapore/26th ASEAN Furniture Show, from 9 to 12 March 2009 at the Singapore Expo.
FDA 2009 is supported by DesignSingapore Council, International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore), Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING Singapore), American Hardwood Export Council, the Designers Association of Singapore, Interior Design Confederation (Singapore) and Singapore Institute of Architects.
The Furniture Design Award (FDA) is an annual furniture design competition organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC). It was first launched in 1993 as the Furniture Design Competition and was renamed FDA in 2003. The Award aims to uncover budding design talents and be a reputable showcase for the unique creations of Asia's best creative minds. Increasingly, the Award has become a platform for exchange and networking amongst furniture manufacturers and designers.
When is FDA held?
FDA is held annually in conjunction with the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show (IFFS/AFS), one of Asia's premier design-led furniture trade shows. The results of FDA 2009 will be announced on 6 March 2009.
The creations by the finalists of FDA 2009 will be displayed during IFFS/AFS 2009 to be held from 9 to 12 March at the Singapore Expo.
What is the theme of FDA 2009?
Unlike previous years, there is no given theme for entries in across all three categories in FDA 2009 - Students, Young Designers and Open. Participants are given free reign with their furniture creations.
Who are eligible to take part in FDA 2009?
The FDA 2009 comprises three categories and the following people are eligible to participate in the competition:
Students Category: Open to full-time students from educational institutions in ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam);
Young Designers Category: Open to participants from the Asia Pacific region, aged 35 years and below as of 9 March 2009;
Open Category: Open to participants from all over the world, on a company basis, with entries that have been manufactured and launched commercially in the market.
What is the deadline for submission of entries for FDA 2009?
Students and Young Designers Categories: Friday, 29 August 2008 before 5pm, Singapore time
Open Category: Monday, 15 December 2008 before 5pm, Singapore time