203 Local and International Awardees Recognised for the Best of Design Excellence in Asia

 

HONG KONG, CHINA -- 23 October 2018 - The 2018 edition of the DFA Awards continues to celebrate impactful and outstanding design from the Asian perspective. 

 

This year DFA Design for Asia Awards recognised 187 projects and DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award bestowed 13 out of 16 winners with substantial financial sponsorships to further their practices.

 

Founded in 2003, the DFA Awards are widely known in the industry as one of the most important and prestigious honours stemming from the region. 

 

Identifying design excellence that delivers positive impact on society, the Awards encompasses five-major programmes, the awardees of two of which were announced today. Individual awardees of the DFA Lifetime Achievement Award, DFA Design Leadership Award and DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer will be announced in early November 2018.

 

Professor Eric C. Yim, JP, Chairman, Hong Kong Design Centre stated that "As the axis of the world turns towards Asia, we are in an age of unprecedented influence and global interest in the region. The ever-changing design landscape has also reflected this change and growing influence of the Asian perspective and market. 

 

Resonating this evolution, the DFA Awards has entered a period of maturity and is now internationally recognised as one of the most prominent and sought-after industry awards. 

 

This is also shown through the number and quality of submissions to the DFA Design for Asia Awards and DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award and is a testament to the innovation and strength of design in the region."

 

DFA Design for Asia Awards received overwhelming response this year, with over 1,000 entries from 18 economies submitting design projects for consideration, the highest number to date. 

 

The judging panel selected 187 design projects, all of which launched available in Asian markets, and that demonstrate how design has contributed to social, cultural and economic progress, covering four major design disciplines including apparel & accessory, communication, environmental and product & industrial designs. 

 

A total of 10 Grand Awards, 3 Grand Awards for Culture, Sustainability, and Technology, 10 Grand Awards for Special Mention, and 164 winners from the Category Award are conferred, altogether demonstrating the power of design solutions to enhance and improve the quality of life in Asian regions and as well for the global populations. 

 

Among the winners, design projects from Japan and Hong Kong stand at the top of leaderboard, each with 55 winning projects, followed by Mainland China with 40 winning projects.

 

DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award fosters the development emerging design practitioners or graduates of 35 years old or under from Hong Kong. In 2018, 13 out of 16 winners were awarded up to HK$ 5 million in total in grants for overseas attachments to incubate visions and provide opportunities for cross-cultural exchange projects. 

 

The programme seeks to cultivate the next generation of home-grown design to broaden exposure to the global design landscape. 

 

Through overseas work experiences or educational initiatives, the next generation can continue to fuel the creative economy, with the vision to further build Hong Kong's competitive offerings. (roc/*).