15 Jun 2016
Design students win award in global competition
Two Industrial Design students have received RSA Student Design Awards for their innovative designs tacking international issues.
The RSA Student Design Awards is the world’s longest running global student competition. This year, over 900 entries were submitted to the RSA, representing 19 countries and 5 continents.
This year, there were twelve different briefs and applicants had to meet six essential criteria in order to have a chance of winning.
Students from Loughborough University submitted 16 design projects to the RSA, four of which were shortlisted and two were announced as winners of their category.
Sam Hemming’s, Maker Blocks, won in the ‘Making It Inclusive’ category which required applicants to design a way for more people to enjoy the benefits of making things.
Maker Blocks is an innovative game targeted at 7-12 year olds which transports physical toy creations into the virtual world. The virtual city building game is played on a tablet but requires players to use physical making skills to construct something that then feeds back into the online game.
Eco-Grill, designed by student Sam Troop, received the award in the ‘Project Rural’ category, in which designers were asked to create a product, system of campaign intended to help people in rural areas to flourish.
Sam’s product is a safe, efficient and sustainable portable cooker that responds to problems arising from barbequing in the New Forest. Developed using circular design principles Eco-Grill uses locally produced charcoal and has a flameless ignition.
Sam Hemming and Sam Troop are among the 36 winners announced this year, each of which showed their use of design in the context of social and economic innovation, sustainability and international development.