On May 31, 2023, the finalists of the National Award of Latvia 2023 were announced. The international final jury evaluated the works of the nominees in the second round of the competition and determined the best representatives of the design field in the design categories of products, communication, environment, digital solutions and services. Out of 59 applications, 19 works entered the finals: two digital solutions, five communication design works, three services, four products and five environmental design works. The winner of each category, as well as the winner of the Grand Prix, will be announced at the award ceremony on June 2 at the Splendid Palace cinema.
A total of 159 works were submitted for the National Design Award of Latvia 2023, which is the highest number of entries submitted for the highest design award in Latvia to date. For participation in the second round of the competition, the selection jury nominated 59 works, which were evaluated by the members of the final jury in intense discussions during a face-toface meeting at the premises of the Latvian Investment and Development Agency’s Creative Industries Incubator on May 30 and 31. The final jury consisted of seven experienced design professionals. In addition to representatives of Latvia, three foreign experts also evaluated the works:
Maiks Bonds (London, United Kingdom) — chairman of the final jury, design strategist, co-founder and director of brand design consultancy agency «Bond and Coyne»
Audronė Drungilaitė (Vilnius, Lithuania) — product designer, Director of the Design Innovation Centre at Vilnius Academy of Arts.
Brigita Bula (Riga, Latvia) — head architect of «Brigita Bula architects» and board member of the Latvian Association of Architects
Emil Roman Frøge (Kopenhagen, Denmark) — designer, creative director and partner of «Archival Studies» agency
Ingūna Elere (Riga, Latvia) — head designer in design studio «H2E», professor in the Art Academy of Latvia, co-founder of SEGD Riga Chapter
Kristaps Šteimanis (Riga, Latvia) — art director of digital design, production, and consulting company «Cube»
Liene Drāzniece (Riga, Latvia) — graphic designer, co-founder, and head designer of organic skin care company «Madara Cosmetics».
The final jury evaluated all submitted works in accordance with the regulations, assigning one to
ten points to each of following quality criteria:
- 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.
Finalists in the communication design category:
1. The visual identity of the youth organization «Young Folks». Author - Rūta Jumīte. Contractor - «Young Folks».
2. Video message «Set the Record Straight». Authors - «Overpriced», Roberts Rūrāns, Eduards Balodis, Jānis Vītoliņš. Contractor - NATO.
3. Book «It's not for you! It's for the building». Authors - Aleksejs Muraško, «NRJA», «Levelup/Copywriter», Ivars Veinbergs. Contractor - «NRJA», Ministry of Culture of Republic of Latvia
4. Riga patriots’ month communication campaign. Authors - Eva Abduļina, Jānis Klaučs, Dārta Apsīte. Contractor - Riga City Council.
5. Celebratory campaign «Raise Latvia with work, song, language». Author and Contractor— Riga City Council.
Finalists in the product design category:
6. Design studio for children at the Museum of Decorative Arts and Design. Authors - LNMM Department of Education and Accessibility - Kristīne Šica, Elīna Bērziņa, Kortnija Māra Gurtlava in collaboration with designer Lāsma Kondrate and illustrator Kristīne Martinova.
7. «Aretai» speakers «Contra». Authors - Jānis Irbe, Edgars Zvirgzdiņš. Contractor - «Aretai».
8. Clothing collection «Vaguely Latvian». Author and Contractor - «Skarule».
9. Educational board game « Save the Handwriting ». Authors - Līga Rīga Bērziņa, Agrita Rinkeviča, lectures from the Art Academy of Latvia. Contractor - Līga Rīga Bērziņa
10. Military vehicle «VR-1-FOX». Author - Edijs Ļaksa. Contractor - «VR Cars».
Finalists in the digital solutions category:
11. Video game «The Case of the Golden Idol». Author and Contractor - «Color Gray».
12. Mobile app «Emori». Author and Contractor – Art Academy of Latvia — Ričards Znutiņš–Znutāns, Dārta Galiņa, Sandra Sugako, Džūlija Ekuse, Liene Jākobsone, Barbara Ābele, Matīss Zvaigzne, Markus Rožkalns. Riga Stradiņš University — Maruta Linuža, 3 Inga Iejava, Kristīne Mārtinsone, Inese Paiča, Ventspils University of Applied Sciences — Jānis Vīksne, Karīna Šķirmante.
Finalists in the environmental design category:
13. «Manufaktūra» brewery. Author - «Sampling» (Manten Devriendt, Liene Jākobsone). Contractor - «Realto Manufaktūra».
14. Interior for the drug preparation department of the pharmacy «Saules aptieka». Author - «Muud» (Dins Vecāns, Jurijs Kostirko, Raitis Štobe). Contractor - «Saules aptieka».
15. Exhibition « Sneakers: Eco x Ego ». Exhibition design: “Sampling”, Ltd., Liene Jākobsone, Mantens Devrīnts, Luīza Stibe, graphic design: Kirils Kirasirovs, curator: Elīna Sproģe, curatorial support: Kristīne Liniņa, Kaspars Vanags, research support: Inga Vigdorčika, Mārtiņš Vesperis, Vineta Blitsone, educational program: Ieva Laube, project management: Gerda Čevere - Veinberga Contractor - Pauls Stradiņš Medicine History Museum.
16. Exhibition «Room No. 13» at the ISSP Gallery. Authors: Reinis Hofmanis, Alexey Beļeckis, Iveta Gaba. Contractor - ISSP Galerija.
17. Exhibition «Weird Sensation Feels Good: The World of ASMR» at the Design Museum in London. Authors: «Ēter»- Kārlis Bērziņš, Niklāvs Paegle, Dagnija Smilga, Mārtiņš Starks. Contractor — The London Design Museum, in collaboration with the Swedish Centre for Architecture and Design «ArkDes».
Finalists in the services design category:
18. Self-service website «selfnamed.com».Author and Contractor - «Cosmetics Nord».
19. Experience – «Nature Gallery», Episode 4 of «Untamed Nights». Author and Contractor - «Don't Panic» in collaboration with «Skudras metropole».
Upcoming events for National Design Award of Latvia 2023
June 1 at 15.00–18.00
at the cinema «Splendid Palace»
Presentations of the finalists
Anyone interested is invited to listen to the presentations of the finalists. Link to register: here.
June 2 at 19.00 at the cinema «Splendid Palace»
National Design Award of Latvia 2023 ceremony
Link to apply for the awards ceremony: here.
The National Design Award of Latvia is the highest award in the design field in Latvia, which is presented with the aim to identify, evaluate and promote the best achievements of Latvian designers and advance the development of the Latvian design industry.