Electrolux is announcing a new round of its annual global competition, which is created to find and support the emerging talents in the area of the home appliances design. Electrolux Design Lab 2011 is encouraging industrial design students and recent graduates in this area to submit their works for a chance to a six-month paid internship plus prize money and have their developments on the avant garde of the global technical progress. This year, the contestants that have not started working in the field are asked to present solutions revolving around the ‘intelligent mobility’ theme and reflecting the company’s commitment to ecological technologies coupled with perfect design.

The works are to be submitted by May 1, 2011, with the 25 semi-finalists to be announced this June—they are to come to a live event and present their cutting-edge concepts. They will be later shortlisted to eight by a panel of the industry experts in July. The final is slated for the fall 2011 (the exact date and location are yet to be specified). The overall winner will receive €5,000 and an invitation to collaborate with the company during his or her a six-month paid internship at an Electrolux global design centre, and the runner-ups will get €3,000 and €2,000 correspondingly.

“Now in its ninth year, Electrolux Design Lab allows young designers to test themselves and gain valuable insight in to the world of commercial product design,” says Henrik Otto, SVP of Global Design at Electrolux. “In particular, the 2011 brief seeks design concepts that will inspire users whilst utilising existing technology to offer support and guidance. This challenge is not just about making appliances that are physically more portable, rather it is about providing flexible control to liberate time and support creative expression.” As usual, through this challenge the company is encouraging creative minds from all around the world to make their own contribution into the process of shaping the future of industrial design and create new era home appliances, which will “help people prepare and store food, clean and do their dishes, both within and beyond the home” tomorrow.

The Electrolux Design Lab 2010 was encouraging entrants to create their concepts under the ‘The 2nd Space Age’ theme. The winner of last year’s challenge was Peter Alwin from India with The Snail, a micro Induction heating appliance.