Join the young designer competition for outdoor living at the spoga+gafa and become a “unique youngstar”!
Text by Spoga + Gafa
Köln, Germany
16.02.15
spoga+gafa, taking place in Cologne from August 30 through September 1, 2015, is the world’s leading trade fair for the leisure and garden sector. The garden unique segment is a distinct platform for high-end garden furniture at spoga+gafa that is becoming ever more popular. In order to support young, aspiring design talents in this sector, the “unique youngstar” design competition was set up in 2013. Do you have creations for outdoor living that you would like to share with the world? Then now it’s your chance to enter your designs!
Award winner first place „Beta Chair“ by Dustin Jessen – youngstar award 2014
garden unique, the premium area of spoga+gafa, offers exhibitors a platform to display their products in an exclusive and sophisticated atmosphere. The high-quality and design-orientated concept has been developed in cooperation with the market leaders and aims – successfully – at presenting a completely new environment for the luxury outdoor segment.
For the third time now, garden unique is accompanied by the designer competition unique youngstar which provides young, up-and-coming designers the opportunity to showcase their ideas, concepts and products to international trade visitors. Outdoor furniture, accessories, sun shades, flooring for outdoors, containers or barbecues for garden, terrace and balcony: all that and much more can be entered in the competition. From January through to April 1st, design students and young designers who completed their studies on or after January 1, 2012, are called to submit their ideas for innovative outdoor living products.
Product presentation of the award winner „Beta Chair“
“This award has been successful from the start and been gaining momentum last year. We’ve already had wonderful contributions in the past two competitions, and I’m very much looking forward to fresh ideas and inspiring design that we will hopefully get to see again this year,” states Katrin Schön, project manager spoga+gafa at Koelnmesse.
Product presentation third place: „Kawara Bench“ by Tsuyoshi Hayashi – youngstar award 2014
How to become a youngstar
Young designers – individuals and groups of up to three – who want to participate can submit their prototypes until April 1st, 2015. They will be judged by an international expert panel relating to five categories: overall concept, originality of design, conceptual and visionary quality, functionality/functional quality and design & presentation.
The 15 most creative ideas selected by the jury will then be showcased in a special exhibition at garden unique. Three designs will then be awarded by the jury while one will be chosen by the audience by online voting. These will be rewarded with a prize money to the total value of 7,000 Euro (3,000 Euro for first, 2,000 Euro for second and 1,000 Euro for third place, 1,000 Euro for the audience award). The winner is going to be announced during the “unique hour” on the first evening of the trade fair.
But best of all: the selected designs will be the focus of attention of the high-class trade audience, thus paving the way for international recognition. Taking part is free of charge which means that competitors have nothing to lose, but a lot to gain – so why not apply right away?
www.gardenunique.de/design-contest.