From 15 August to 30 September, an open-air exhibition of the National Design Award of Latvia 2024 will be on display at Esplanāde (Elizabetes Street side) in the very centre of Riga, where the general public - residents and visitors of Riga - will have the opportunity to get to know the works of the nineteen winners and finalists of the competition better.
Design is all around us, even if we are not always aware of it. It plays an important role in our daily lives, from the morning when we switch on our smartphones to the evening when we snuggle up in bed. Every object we use, every space we enter and every digital interface we interact with contains design elements that affect our quality of life, our productivity and even our mood.
The winning works of the Latvian Design Award 2024 demonstrate the diversity and wide application of design disciplines. These works show the importance of design in each of these disciplines and how it can influence and improve different areas of life, from everyday needs to sophisticated technological solutions, from consumer products to public spaces, from user experience to social activism. The exhibition showcases works of all scales - from individual designers' self-funded initiatives to municipal and public commissions with budgets of hundreds of thousands - demonstrating that every good work is noticed and valued. This year, the active participation and achievements of young designers in the competition are particularly pleasing.
"We hope that the design exhibition will serve as a testament to the importance of combining aesthetics with functionality, sustainability and responsibility to create environments, products and services that not only meet our practical needs, but also improve our overall quality of life and help us meet the challenges of our times in terms of economic vitality, social inclusion and security," comments Dita Danosa, Head of the Latvian Design Centre.
The National Design Award of Latvia took place from 1 October 2023 to 24 May 2024, when the Grand Prix winner and runners-up in five categories: products, services, communication, environment and digital solutions were announced at the award ceremony in Riga Circus. The jury also awarded five jury mentions and the Patent Office presented its special prize.
The winner of the Grand Prix and the winner of the product design category was "(Un)woven biotextiles" by Sarmīte Poļakova and Māra Bērziņa (formerly "Pre-Loved" biotextile), a sustainable material made from recycled textile fibres suitable for fashion, interior and product design.
The winner of the digital solutions category is the joint work of Māris Upenieks, Mārcis Miķelsons-Germ and Miks Miķelsons - a donation platform for Ukraine "Stopify", while the most successful work in the communication category was the communication campaign "Riga Summer of Courage and Joy 2023" developed by Valters Kalsers and "Mākslas birojs". Service
design category winner was the Art Academy of Latvia Design Summer School "Design Activism: interventions for eco-social challenges" (authors - Rūta Jumīte and Ieva Laube), while in the environmental design category the top award went to the exhibition "Cosmic Dancer" by Dace Sūna.
The jury's recognition in the product design category went to the electric scooter "Bee Electric" (by Aldis Kalniņš), in the communication design category - to the book "When War Becomes Personal" (by Gatis Šulcs) and the campaign "Riga Pride 2023 - Bloom" (by Artūrs Meļņiks and Māra Čaure), in the environmental design category - to the Dailes Theatre forecourt (by "MADE arhitekti"
in collaboration with Evelīna Ozols and Edgars Zvirgzdiņš), while in the service design category the jury award went to the amusement complex "Beat the Storm" (idea - Ingus Augstkalns, project manager - Rihards Dziedātājs, designer - SIA "WeMPS", main artist - Kristians Rukuts, architect - Līva Kalniņa).
A total of 127 entries were submitted for the National Design Award of Latvia 2024, out of which the selection jury nominated 58 entries for the second round of the competition. They were judged by a final jury of five experienced design professionals. Alongside Latvian representatives, the entries were judged by two foreign experts:
Regina Hanke (Berlin, Germany) - Professor in Communication Design and Design Management, co-founder of LEILA, Germany's leading medical information and decision support app, and BEDA board member;
Maria Azzurra Rossi (Rome, Italy) - designer and architect, co-founder of PR and communications agency Mint List;
Ieva Zībārte - architect and author, "New European Bauhaus" expert, Head of the Development and Construction Project Management Department of the municipal capital company "Rīgas nami";
Edgars Zvirgzdiņš - designer, founder of design studio "Associates, Partners et Sons" and co-founder of the loudspeaker brand "Aretai";
Dārta Apsīte - Communication Designer and Creative Director.
The selection jury consisted of Brigita Bula, Ieva Zībārte, Edgars Zvirgzdiņš, Kirils Kirasirovs, Mārcis Miķelsons-Germs, Edijs Ļaksa, Dārta Apsīte, Baiba Ripa, Anna Andersone and Didzis Jaunzems.
The National Design Award of Latvia is the highest design award in Latvia. It is awarded with the aim of identifying, evaluating and promoting the achievements of Latvian designers, as well as encouraging the use of design created in Latvia and the development of the design industry. The Latvian Design Award was established in 2017 with the support of the Ministry of Culture.The competition is organised by the Latvian Design Centre from 2023 to 2025. The Latvian Design Award 2025 will open for entries on 1 October.