- The fourth Audi Innovation Award theme for the Middle East is announced as ‘Simplification’ and submissions are now open via https://audiinnovationaward.com/
- Deadline for designs to be submitted is 20th May 2019
- Winner to be announced at Dubai Design Week, November 2019
‘Simplification’ has been announced as the theme for the fourth Audi Innovation Award and the website www.audiinovationaward.com is now open for submissions. The competition, led by Audi Middle East in partnership with Dubai Design Week, aims to empower regional designers while archiving intellectual progress, to create a new generation of change-makers in the region.
Designers in the Middle East are invited to submit their ideas and concepts to a specific brief to be in line for a once in a lifetime opportunity of mentoring, publicity and up to $25,000 investment in the winning innovation, as well as a trip to visit the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany. The deadline for designs to be submitted is 20th May 2019 and the winners will be announced at Dubai Design Week in November this year.
The Audi Innovation Award seeks to stimulate regional discussion on the journey towards a sustainable future in the Middle East, through the innovative use of energy, resources, and through social awareness and the development of smart cities. Every year, the competition theme is inspired by the Audi brand. This year, the theme ‘Simplification’ is rooted in the Audi global brand value of ‘Personal Freedom’. Simplification is defined as ‘to make less complex or complicated’ or ‘to design for efficiency’, which perfectly fits with the global ethos of the brand with the Four Rings.
By proposing design solutions to impact the way an object is made, used, moved, or stored, the simplest products can enhance our quality of life by offering the luxury of more time – our most precious resource. The Audi Innovation Award aims to stimulate intuitive designers to propose everyday products that are simpler to use, to transport, that use less material or energy to be manufactured, or are easier to operate or store.
Carsten Bender, Brand Director of Audi Middle East, commented; “The Audi Innovation Award has grown in popularity and stature since its launch in 2016 and we have been fascinated to see the progress of our first three winners in the region. The Audi brand represents progressiveness and stylish design so this award perfectly resonates with our passion to inspire a new generation of designers for the future here in the Middle East.”
The three shortlisted candidates will be given $2,500 to present their concepts at Dubai Design Week in November 2019. The overall winning design will include a trophy and a trip to the Audi factory in Ingolstadt, Germany to experience the automotive design journey at the company’s headquarters. In addition, Audi Middle East will award $25,000 worth of consultancy to the winner to cover items such as IP registration, legal counselling and business development. The brand with the Four Rings will also work closely with their partners at Dubai Design Week to provide design advice and mentoring to develop and protect the winning idea.
Further information regarding the Audi Innovation Award can be found at https://audiinnovationaward.com/
The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).
In 2018, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.812 million automobiles of the Audi brand. In the 2017 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €60.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.1 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.
AUDI AG’s commitment to the region was confirmed through the foundation of its fully owned subsidiary in 2005. The current Middle East model range comprises the Audi A3 & S3, A4 and S4, the A5/S5 Coupe Sportback and Cabriolet and RS 5 Coupe and Sportback, the A6, A7, A8, A8 L, the Audi Q3, Q5 & SQ5, Q7 and Q8, the Audi R8 Coupe, R8 Coupe V10 plus as well as the R8 V10 Spyder.
About Dubai Design Week
Dubai Design Week is the region’s largest creative festival, reflecting Dubai’s position as the design capital of the Middle East. The free-to-attend programme is made up of more than 200 events covering design across a range of disciplines including architecture, product design, furniture, interiors, multimedia and graphic design.
An accessible meeting point for the global design community, Dubai Design Week, staged in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), is a platform for regional design as well as a catalyst for the growth of the creative scene in Dubai. In its 2018 edition, the annual event attracted 75,000 visitors to Dubai Design District (d3) alone. The festival’s varied programme consists of design-related events, exhibitions, installations, competitions, talks and workshops. Key events include the region’s leading design fair, Downtown Design; Global Grad Show that brings together works from 100 of the most innovative universities across the world; and Abwab, the curated and interactive project containing original design from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
Dubai Design Week is owned and managed by the Art Dubai Group and is held under the dedicated patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.
For more information, please visit www.dubaidesignweek.ae
@Dubaidesignweek | #DXBDW2019
Previous Winners of the Audi Innovation Award
In 2016, the first winning concept of the Audi Innovation Award was from Jordanian designer Sahar Madanat, who demonstrated the theme ‘Alternative’ by interpreting a seemingly resolved everyday object and redefined it for a new use. The innovative design is a multi-function tableware set enabling one handed users to cut food and navigate between courses while concealing the limitations imposed by their disability. An arrangement catering not only to their physical needs, but also considering the users’ emotions and sense of confidence. The design was a unanimous winner from the panel of judges for the idea that delivers both a diagnosis and a cure for a basic human need. The practical and stylish solution has relevance, not only for the disabled and those recovering from accidents or illness, but also for mothers who are feeding their children.
Jamal Alsharkas from Dubai was the winner of the 2017 award, for his project ‘EZ Move, where he interpreted the theme of ‘Autonomy’ into a self-sustaining, innovative idea that could change lives by offering the freedom to move around cities for those with physical challenges. ‘EZ Move’ addresses a solution for those with mobility challenges, the elderly and the visually impaired by offering freedom of movement, freedom of choice and the dignity of being in control of one’s own destination.
For 2018, the theme ‘Connections’, which is defined as ‘bringing things together’, or ‘how things relate to one another’. It also reflects technology’s increasing ability to provide a means through which preferences and behaviour can be identified. Elias Soueidi from Lebanon won the competition with his design ‘Ruin to Reality’ (R2R), which allows users access to virtual 3d models of ruined historical buildings and landmarks. This access enhances the relationship between people and their immediate surroundings as an interactive experience and the vision is to help people reconnect with their environment and re-establish lost connections with what used to be there.