Students encouraged to think green for design competiton

The search is on for the sustainable designers of the future through a competition being run by Plymouth University.

The University’s Design Lab is hosting the Plymouth Student Design Award 2012/13, which will encourage students to create a product or campaign that impacts on the wellbeing of people and the planet.

The eco-design competition is open to schools across the South West, with interest already from Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset.

Professor Roberto Fraquelli, Head of 3D Design at Plymouth University, said: “Designers have an important role to play in creating influential products for the future, and we are always looking for ways to inspire young people. This competition takes school students out of the classroom and presents them with some of the challenges they will face if they choose to go to University, and in their future careers.”

Students will be encouraged to work in teams on their project, and could potentially create a product that uses recycled material or one that uses an alternative source of power. They could also redesign existing products to make them more efficient, or create a campaign to raise awareness of sustainability issues.

The entries will be split across three age group categories and will then be judged by a panel of experts on four criteria, including benefit to society, research, design thinking and the execution of the final product.

The category winners will be presented with a mini iPad for their school, and £50 of vouchers to share among their team. They will be announced at an exhibition to take place at the University on Wednesday 1 May.

Professor Fraquelli said: “Sustainability is a key part of everything we do at Plymouth, from our work on campus to our research and teaching. But it is important to teach the designers of the future to think more responsibly, and this competition will give young people the chance to work with us to that end.”

Entries for the competition need to be submitted between March 18 to 22, and anyone interested or wanting full details about the competition criteria can contact Andrew Mouat by emailing andrew.mouat@plymouth.ac.uk