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On 20 December 2024, the shortlisted entries for the second round of the National Design Award of Latvia 2025 autumn application session were published. The entries were judged in five categories: products, services, communication, environment and digital solutions. A total of 60 entries were received, and the jury has shortlisted 26 entries for the second round of the competition, eight of which are from emerging designers. The highest number of entries for the second round of the competition came from the product and environmental design categories - nine entries each. Five digital solutions and three services have also been shortlisted, while there are no nominees in the communication design category this time - the jury's reason for this is that some of the entries do not meet the quality criteria.

All entries were judged by a selection jury of renowned Latvian design professionals - a chairperson and two jury members for each category.The category chairs were: Maija Rozenfelde, partner and design director of design studio "Kid Design"; Sarmīte Poļakova, designer, founder of Studio Sarmīte and brand "(Un)woven"; Brigita Bula , architect and founder of Brigita Bula Architects; and Anna Andersone, design entrepreneur and co-founder and director of the Riga TechGirls movement.

The selection panel members were: Edgars Zvirgzdiņš, designer, founder of design studio "Associates, Partners et Sons" and co-founder of scandal brand "Aretai"; Agris Batalauskis, Director of the Patent Board ; Evija Krištopane, designer and co-founder of design association "Support System" ; Don't Panic Design Solutions, designer and founder of Mārcis Ziemiņš; designer and architect, co-founder of design studio "Gateris Works" Reinis Leo Miķelsons; co-founder of product developer and data visualization platform "Infogram" Alise Dīrika and co-founder and creative director of digital agency "Wrong Digital" Oskars Cirsis.

The jury evaluated the submissions in discussions according to the evaluation criteria defined in the competition rules, scoring each of them between one and ten points. Evaluation 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.

 

Product design

The product design category received the highest number of entries - 24 - of which nine made it to the second round of the competition. "With the introduction of the Young Designer Award, we have received many student entries, adding diversity to the competition and showcasing a wide variety of approaches to design. We particularly want to highlight bold ideas that tackle taboo subjects, as well as fusing tradition with innovation, in collaboration with local communities. We have nominated nine excellent entries for the second round, where thoughtful ideas are mixed with sustainability and clever solutions," says Sarmīte Poļakova, Chair of the category selection jury.

Nominees for the product design category:

1. Shoe bumper "Chiba Chaba" by Pauls Iklāvs, Krišjānis Ustinovs. Commissioned by "Chibachaba".

2. The Moon Chair for children by Mark Litvyakov. Commissioned by "Wigiwama".
3. Modular shelving system "Margo". Designed and commissioned by "Articul".
4. DT Ramps - Durable Tire Ramps for storage of tyres by Gatis Trikulis, Sandis Aukšmuksts, Mārtiņš Lazdiņš. Commissioned by "Enjoy the moment".

Nominees for the "New Designer" Award in the product design category:

5. Children's educational toolkit "The magical nature of the nature spirit Poko" by Līva Elza Harkeviča, (supervisor - Ilze Kundziņa). Commissioned by the Art Academy of Latvia (Department of Functional Design).
6. Collection of modular seating furniture with hidden BDSM function "Randevú" by Zanda Senkova (supervisor - Ilze Gūtmane). Commissioned by Riga Technical University.
7. "Knibini" panel for stress reduction by Pēteris Cukurs. Commissioned by the Art Academy of Latvia.
8. The five-cycle jacket concept "Fashion as gardening" by Laima Jurča, supervisors - Basia Sliwinska, Ph.D and Prof. Barbara Abele. Commissioned by the Art Academy of Latvia.
9. "The Insect House" bowl by Rūdis Braše (teachers - Baiba Lindāne, Indra Merca, Inita Ēmane). Commissioned by Riga School of Design and Art, "Chef's House" in Līgatne.

 

Environmental design

The second category that received many entries was Environmental Design. 17 entries were evaluated, of which nine were nominated for the second round of the competition. Brigita Bula, Chair of the jury for the Environmental Design category, comments. We are delighted to see an increasing number of interdisciplinary entries, in which it was the design approach and use aspects that were assessed alongside the competition criteria. Therefore, the nominees did not include works that do not address design issues in their descriptions, but only talk about the general qualities of the work. Among others, we would like to highlight works that have been created in public space, thinking about the accessibility of a pleasant environment for all, sustainability and circularity - "Playground Stage" in Valmiera, Riga Street Typology Handbook and the exhibition "Afterlife. Memorial Practices and the Museum".

Nominees for the environmental design category:

1. Circular Economy Space "Collaboratory" by Tandeems, Kārlis Jaunromāns, Alīna Beitāne, Kristaps Butanovs, Fix Trix (Rolands Kovšiks). Commissioned by Riga Energy Agency, Riga City Government Agency.
2. Audiovisual exhibition "The Living Glove" by design studio "Overpriced". Commissioned by the Cesis Museum, the association "Cimdu ceļš".
3. Interactive installation-playground for children "Playground Stage" by Linda Vigdorčika and Renāte Lagzdiņa. Commissioned by Valmiera Municipality.
4. Exhibition "Binde 100-10" by Gunārs Binde, Anna Binde, Elīza Ramza, Artūrs Analts. Commissioned by the Gunārs Binde Foundation.
5. The exhibition "Afterlife. Memorial practices and museum" Exhibition design and architecture by Rihards Funts and the architectural practice "Gaiss" (Arnita and Kārlis Melzobi); graphic design by Kirils Kirasirovs (Pauls Stradins Museum of the History of Medicine); curators - Kristīne Liniņa, Kaspars Vanags (Pauls Stradins Museum of the History of Medicine). Commissioned by the Pauls Stradins Museum of the History of Medicine.
6. Riga Street Typology Handbook by Riga City Architect's Office in collaboration with Ruume arhitekti, IE.LA engineer, Reflect and others. The client of the work - Riga City Municipality.
7. International jewellery event "Jewellery Parade" and summer school "In Situ*". Curator - Ginta Grūbe; assistant curator - Una Mikuda; curator of the education programme - Rasma Pušpure; visual identity - Guna Poga; exhibition set design - Modris Svilāns. Commissioned by the Society of Jewellery Art, Tukku Magi Collection Foundation, Art Academy of Latvia.

Nominees for the "New Designer" award in the environmental design category:

1. The installation series "Space Unites. Space Makes. Space divides. Space sorts." by Sabīne Vārtiņa-Liepiņa (supervisor - Ieva Lāce-Lukševica). Commissioned by the Art Academy of Latvia.
2. Three solutions for furnishing unused spaces "Empty!" by Pauls Rietums. Commissioned by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

Communication design

The autumn submission in the Communication Design category received 10 entries. Maija Rozenfelde, Chair of the jury for the Communication Design category, says: "After evaluating the 10 submissions, we found that the quality of the entries only partially meets the criteria set for the competition, so these entries will not be forwarded to the second round of the competition. Previous years' nominees in the LDGB Communication Design category have strongly reflected best practice, not only serving the spirit of a local competition but, more importantly, providing an insight into the high bar of quality in the Latvian communication design industry. In keeping with the quality standards we have seen and appreciated in other categories this year and among nominees in previous years, on behalf of the Communication Design Selection Jury we invite design studios and individual designers to submit their strongest work for consideration in the winter session of the National Design Award of Latvia."

Service and digital solutions design 

Five entries were judged in the Digital Solutions category and four in the Service Design category. In the Services category, the selection jury went on to shortlist three entries, and in the Digital Solutions category, all four entries. The results of both categories are commented by the Chair of the selection jury Anna Andersone: "This year's applications highlight the ability of Latvian designers to combine innovative solutions with a strong story and practical application. We value creative approaches that create a dialogue between art, fashion and culture. As well as digital solutions that combine technological advances with socially relevant goals. We encourage more projects in the future that boldly experiment with new formats and technologies, creating a lasting impact both locally and internationally."

Service Design category nominees:

1. Retrospective exhibition "Harmony of Collision" of the fashion brand "Fyodor Golan" by Fyodor Podgorny, Kitija Vasilyeva, Igor Gubenko, Janis Anderson, Alexey Beletsky, Sabine (Sabina Inojatova), Sandijs Ruļuks, Mercedes Margoite, Mare Heimrat-Patachini, Catherine Cook. Commissioned by Museum Repository, Sculpture Forest, Fyodor Podgorny.
2. Home Ground, a platform for young designers. The author and commissioner of the work - association "Home Ground".
3. "Backdoor Market pop-up shop. Created and commissioned by Backdoor Market.

Nominees for the digital solutions design category:

1. Augmented reality art platform Art+. by the association "ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education", "ART+", Maija Demitere, Patrick Borgeat, Rogier Jupijn. Commissioned by ART+.
2. Riga State City Municipality geographic information system "Geo Riga". by the Geomatics Department of the Riga City Development Department. Commissioned by the Department of Urban Development of Riga City Municipality.

3. Visualisations of the stage for the Ozols concert "From the District to the Arena". The authors - Madars Juris Liholajs, Patriks Kirkils, Reinis Rubenis. Commissioned by rapper Ozols.
4. Website redesign for the travel agency "Joybe". By Edijs Bogomolovs. Commissioned by "Joybe.com".

Nominees for the "New Designer" award in the digital solutions category:

5. Website "Raižplēsis". by Jānis Kokarevičs and Elīna Pavlova (supervisors - Maija Rozenfelde and Markus Rožkalns). Commissioned by the Art Academy of Latvia.

The application procedure for theNational Design Award of Latvia 2025 allows authors or commissioners to submit their works to the competition in two periods - autumn and winter - thus making the application process more convenient and structuring the evaluation process.The winter application will take place from 1 February to 20 March 2025, and the selection jury will evaluate the works until 20 April. This will be followed by the second round of the competition, where an international final jury will judge the autumn and winter nominees and nominate the finalists. The final jury will also decide on the winner of each category and the winners of the National Design Award of Latvia Grand Prix and the New Designer title. The second round of the competition will conclude with the Design Award ceremony in early June 2025. The exact dates will be announced in due course on www.dizainabalva.lv.

The National Design Award of Latvia is the highest design award in Latvia, presented 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 National Design Award of Latvia was established in 2017 with the support of the Ministry of Culture. It is organised by the Latvian Design Centre until May 2025.

The Latvian Design Centre is a member of the European Design Associations (BEDA) and an official partner of the European Commission's strategic initiative "New European Bauhaus". The Latvian Design Centre participates in national design policy-making, research and education by initiating cooperation and strategic partnerships with other design organisations, designers, companies and design users. With the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Latvian Design Centre maintains the creative industries communication platform "FOLD".