-Judges cite “innovative solutions” for challenging brief-
We can now reveal the finalists for the 2023 competition, following the preliminary judging
held on March 26!
According to our head judge, Richard Brown, the design students entering this year’s
competition addressed the brief with “out of the box thinking and innovative solutions”.
Mr Brown said they had worked hard to tackle the brief, which asked them to design a
product for the kitchen or the bathroom, made primarily from plastics and which was an
original product or a significant improvement on an existing product. It could meet the needs of the young or the elderly or those with disabilities – an area where there are already many products on the market.
“This made it a challenging task and the finalists have done well to raise the awareness of
the judges in some of the areas they have addressed,” he said. “Our finalists have all been
provided with feedback and guidance to help them refine their products before they present
them at the final judging stage in London on May 26.”
As well as five finalists, another student has been chosen to receive a new award. This year
it was decided to introduce an additional category for an entry which did not quite make the
final cut, but which still recognises the talent which has gone into creating an innovative
product or design. The category has been named ‘The Robin Jones Award’ in memory of a
former DIP committee member who sadly passed away last year.
All the finalists, along with the recipient of the Robin Jones Award, have been invited to
attend a training course provided by a new DIP industry sponsor, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag,
which will give them the opportunity to take on board new ideas as they finesse their
products.
The six students are:
Frederick Blake – Bournemouth University - ‘Bubble Buddy’
Kyle Farquhar – Edinburgh Napier University – “PlateMate’
James Forrest-Smith – Northumbria University – ‘Kitchen Helper’
Christopher Kenny – TU Dublin – ‘Flossie’
Scott Rutherford – Edinburgh Napier University - ‘Rotary Bottle Opener’
Teresa Zheng – Loughborough University – ‘Pocket Operation Panel’
We look forward to seeing our finalists in London on May 26!
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