The 2015-16 RSA Student Design Awards is now open for entries. The competition challenges young designers with project briefs based on complex issues facing society, the environment and business. Past winners include Sir Jonathan Ive, Chief Design Officer at Apple (RDI) and Richard Clarke, Global Vice President of Design at Nike.
Students anywhere in the world can enter the RSA Student Design Awards. Among the 12 briefs, sponsor Airbnb is challenging students to design a way to keep the sharing economy fair so more people participate in it, and Unilever has tasked entrants with designing product or system that allows people to wash and clean themselves using less water and/or lower water temperatures. Other award sponsors include Philips, Fazer, GlaxoSmithKline, RBS, Waitrose, Springetts and PriestmanGoode.
Entrants compete for various benefits, including bursaries from the sponsors, work placements and mentoring support to develop fledging careers. This year's Awards include over £35,000 in cash prizes and paid internships at the likes of Philips, Waitrose, GlaxoSmithKline and Priestmangoode.
"There is still a common misconception that design is just about making beautiful products and things that look nice," commented Sevra Davis, Global Director of the RSA Student Design Awards. "We want to show that good design is fundamental to creating positive social and environmental change on a global scale. The aim of the RSA Student Design Awards is to help challenge society, the design industry, governments and business to think more openly about what design can do. In addition, we want to help a new generation of students focus their skills on creating genuine innovations via design thinking.
"Every year the briefs evolve to reflect contemporary challenges and issues. This year we have 12 briefs that tackle a variety of day to day problems, from how to rebrand waste in developed societies and how to make bathing more sustainable, to how to create business environments that foster innovative and creative thinking."
The deadline for entries is March 10, 2016.
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