‘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/