On Friday, May 24, the winners of the National Design Award of Latvia (NDAL) 2024 were announced at Rīgas Cirks, honouring the best design works in five categories: products, services, communication, environmental, and digital solutions. The Grand Prix and the prize of 2000 euros from the Ministry of Culture were awarded to designers Sarmīte Poļakova and Māra Bērziņa for the biotextile Pre-Loved. The jury also awarded five special recognitions, and the Latvian Patent Office also presented their award.
«Design is a problem-solving competence that uses design methods and aesthetics to integrate people into the development process and the solutions themselves. When we talk about the responsibility of design, the design phase accounts for around 40% of all accessibility issues in artefacts. Design, with science and engineering, has the lever to support and create circularity as well as climate positivity. Hence the challenges we face and which design is facing start with sustaining a human, flora, and fauna-positive climate, with the threats imposed on every citizen by the attacking war of Russia against Ukraine, and end with the changes related to the accelerated progress of AI. With this in mind, the ethical dimension of design is becoming more and more relevant,» the final jury stated.
In this light, the evaluation of the entries, and in particular the final decision on the Grand Prix, was the subject of a passionate debate among all the jury members. Chaired by Regina Hanke, the jury discussed the full bandwidth of possible perspectives on the diverse and inspiring projects handed in. «The decisions we took in this competition did not come naturally; they were driven by the quality of the artefacts and the challenges not only for Latvia but also for Europe and our living environment,» said Regina Hanke.
Winners of the National Design Award of Latvia 2024
Grand Prix winner and winner of the product design category:
Pre-Loved biotextile. Authors — Sarmīte Poļakova and Māra Bērziņa. Contractor — Studio Sarmīte.
«Being just environmentally friendly is not enough; these biotextiles connect the dots between waste management and industrial design. They show how to reweave the future and redefine aesthetics in multiple sectors, from fashion to interior and product design,» states the jury. «In a world where the overproduction of the furniture, fashion, and textile industries is being debated, turning the spotlight on biomaterials and encouraging positive thinking about the textile industry sends an important message for the future of design. We, as a jury, concluded that the Pre-Loved textiles have a positive future outlook for Latvia and shed a promising light on the potential of design.» Grand Prix «Being just environmentally friendly is not enough; these biotextiles connect the dots between waste management and industrial design. They show how to reweave the future and redefine aesthetics in multiple sectors, from fashion to interior and product design,» states the jury. «In a world where the overproduction of the furniture, fashion, and textile industries is being debated, turning the spotlight on biomaterials and encouraging positive thinking about the textile industry sends an important message for the future of design. We, as a jury, concluded that the Pre-Loved textiles have a positive future outlook for Latvia and shed a promising light on the potential of design.»
Winner of the communication design category:
Riga's Summer of Courage and Joy 2023 Authors — Valters Kalsers and NGO Mākslas Birojs. Contractor — Riga City Council.
«This project embodied a bold and contemporary visual language. Through co-creating with the local communities, it celebrated the diverse neighbourhoods, and yet still managed to foster a sense of unity throughout the entire campaign. The versatile identity of the campaign seamlessly transformed across various forms and contexts, ensuring a cohesive and dynamic representation of the multilayered cultural history,» stated the jury.
Winner of the environmental design category: Exhibition Cosmic Dancer. Author — Dace Sūna. Contractor — Design Academy of Eindhoven.
«This installation shows how an immersive environment can generate positive feelings around a shared social experience by blending artistic expression with technology. It invites participants to connect through moments of calmness and deeply talks to everybody’s hopes and fears,» said the jury.
Winner of the service design category:
LMA Design Summer School «Design Activism: interventions for eco-social challenges» Authors — Rūta Jumīte and Ieva Laube. Contractor — Art Academy of Latvia.
«This project provides a future-oriented application of design methods to address the ecological and social challenges we face today. In this project, they have created innovative design methods and combined them with sustainability research. This project has created the space for future actors in the design industry to start from a place of education, creativity, and empowerment,» the jury points out.
Winner of the digital solution design category:
Digital solution for the Stopify donation streaming platform for Ukraine. Authors of the work on voluntary initiative - Māris Upenieks, Mārcis Miķelsons-Germs, Miks Miķelsons.
«The project convinced the jury as a prime example of a digital solution by cleverly using an already-established mechanism to raise funds through ongoing subscription services. By adopting the already-learned subscription pattern, this project showed us what design can do — support the change of the world for the better. It is the sustained engagement of the users in combination with the creator's commitment and willingness to invest emotions, time, and energy for a pressing cause with a still-undetermined end-point. The jury would like to highlight that beyond the well-drafted approach, the transparency through the monthly mailings and ease of uniting behind the cause made this a standout project,» the jury said.
Jury’s Special Recognition
Product design
- Electric scooter Bee Electric. Author and contractor — Aldis Kalniņš.
Communication design:
- The book «When war becomes personal». Author - Gatis Šulcs. Contractor - Juris Alberts Ulmanis.
- «Riga Pride 2023 - Bloom!». Author — Artūrs Meļņiks and Māra Čaure. Contractor — LGBT and their friends «Mozaīka». «Mozaīka».
Environmental design:
- Dailes theatre forecourt. Authors — MADE Architects in collaboration with Evelīna Ozola and Edgars Zvirgzdiņš. Contractor — State Real Estate, Riga City Council Property Department.
Service design:
- Hurricane simulator attraction «Beat The Storm». Author of the idea — Ingus Augstkalns, project manager — Rihards Dziedātājs, designer — WeMPS, main artist — Kristians Rukuts, architect — Līva Kalniņa. Contractor — Universe Science Park, Denmark.
The special prize of the Patent Office went to the electric scooter Bee Electric.
The Patent Office special prize includes advisory support to better protect the intellectual property of the winning design or company. The winner will also have the unique opportunity to attend the DesignEuropa Awards ceremony in Riga on September 25, one of the most prestigious intellectual property events in the European Union. With this award, the Patent Office wants to raise awareness among design professionals about intellectual property protection as well as promote the long-term development of the Latvian design industry, including the wider use of design in business and the public sector, thus strengthening cooperation between the two fields and the commercialisation of the best solutions. Designers can use their creativity to find practical and simple solutions to complex problems, making our everyday lives easier and more comfortable. These solutions are proof that design is clearly linked to innovation and competitiveness.
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, which were evaluated in intense discussions by the members of the final jury, who met in person in Riga in the Representative Office of the Creative Industries, from May 21 to May 24. The finalist work evaluation process also included finalist presentations for the jury in person on May 23 from 10.00 to 14.00. After them, the final jury continued its deliberations to decide on the winner of each category and the Grand Prix winner, which was selected from the category winners. The competition ended with an award ceremony on 24 May 2024 at 19.00 at Riga Circus.
The final jury members were five experienced design professionals. Alongside Latvian representatives, the entries were judged by two international 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, member of the BEDA Board;
Maria Azzurra Rossi (Rome, Italy) — designer and architect, co-founder of PR and communication 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 loudspeaker brand Aretai;
Dārta Apsīte — communication designer and creative director.
The final jury evaluated the entries according to the evaluation criteria defined in the competition rules:
- originality and creativity of the idea,
- the defined problem and task(s), and the chosen solutions to solve the problem,
- co-creation, stakeholder involvement and cooperation in the work process,
- functionality and technological solution,
- aesthetics and other dimensions of quality of experience,
- economic relevance, sustainability, and circularity,
- social relevance, inclusion, availability and accessibility.