Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award 2011 Top10 Finalists Are Announced

Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award has announced the top ten finalists for its ninth annual competition in Australia.


Photo: Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award: X&Y by Flynn Talbot

The ten finalists were selected from a pool of over 60 entries. The 2011 winners are:

Flynn Talbot with a LED light transforming lamp, X&Y;

Marc Harrison with a natural material made water vessel, Husque Jug;

Dennis Abalos with a prolonging life of fruits bowl, Woven;

Alexander Fitzpatrick a vertical garden of LED light, Light Garden;

Dominic Broadhurst with a Dadaist-influenced assemblage, Scale;

Kristian Aus with a novel coat rack, Dottie Coat Rack;

Evie Group (Alexandra Gilmour / Dominic Chong) with a decorative lighting piece, Spun Lamps;

Dale Hardiman with a seat that can be planted, Kids Straw Stool;

Henry Wilson with a configurative system, A-Joint;

Duncan Meerding with a Cracked Log Lamp.

Judge Richard Waller, Editor of Inside Out Magazine, said that “the entries possessed a real emphasis on craft, whether it is just the look of the actual object, or a sense of how it’s made and the process by which the work is brought to life.”

The award searches for Australian young talents since 2003. The winner of the first prize receives $30,000 to assist in the commercial development of their design. In addition he or she can chose a trip to a leading design fair from Index in Denmark, Design Miami or Interieur design fair in Belgium. Four runners up each receive a $2,500 cash prize, and the remaining five finalists will be presented with a $1,000.

The initiative supported by video interviews with the finalists can be followed on Facebook. Winners will be announced at a gala event at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney on October 27.

The Bacardi’s gin brand also annually searches for visual art genies in the USA.


Photo: Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award: Dottie Coat Rack by Kristian Aus


Photo: Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award: Cracked Log Lamp by Duncan Meerding