Since 1898, RIMOWA has constantly set benchmarks of innovation and design. Now the German maison is empowering future creative talents with the launch of the RIMOWA Design Prize, an annual student competition that aims to celebrate Germany’s storied design heritage while inspiring young creators.
Founded on values of innovation, inclusivity, and global change, the prize sees the brand team up with some of Germany’s top design universities to give students the opportunity to showcase their skills alongside others across the nation.
The inaugural prize, which is set to take place from October 2022 to April 2023, will address the topic of mobility, which is a key element of RIMOWA’s ethos. Students are encouraged to freely interpret the theme by creating designs that both consider mobility’s global impact and acknowledge RIMOWA’s tenets of resilience, excellence and quality.
“Heritage, craftsmanship and design are core values at RIMOWA, and it’s increasingly important for us to support and nurture the next generation who will be shaping the future legacy of German design. We are excited for the first edition of the RIMOWA Design Prize, to offer the talented students at some of Germany’s best universities the opportunity to experiment and explore new possibilities with the help of amazing mentors, while also tackling relevant global issues that will affect the way the world navigates design in the future”, says Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, CEO at RIMOWA.
With the topic in mind, the competition offers the chance for young talents to apply their theoretical knowledge practically and present their work to a jury comprised of industry heavyweights who reflect the brand’s unique voice and values. The prize also gives students who advance into the first round the chance to benefit from a mentorship programme throughout the competition, spearheaded by a leading jury member.
Alongside the mentorship programme, the prize offers participants various networking opportunities, a professional workplace to conduct their oeuvre as well as infrastructural support to bring it all to life. The RIMOWA Design Prize will celebrate five finalists with a series of monetary awards as well. The winner, who will be selected by the jury, will be awarded the sum of €20,000. The runner-up will be awarded a €10,000 prize, while those in third, fourth and fifth place will win a prize of €5,000.
The RIMOWA Design Prize jury members are: Alexandre Arnault, Chairman at RIMOWA Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert, Chief Executive Officer at RIMOWA Manuel Goller, Founder & Creative Director at New Tendency Gesa Hansen, Designer Mateo Kries, Director at Vitra Design Museum Julia Läufer, Owner and Industrial Designer at Läufer & Keichel Mike Meiré, Head of Creation at Meiré und Meiré Julius Wiedemann, Chief Curator at Domestika
The universities participating in the prize include: ABK Stuttgart Brand University of Applied Sciences Hamburg FH Aachen FH Münster Folkwang University of the Arts Essen HBKsaar HfG Karlsruhe HfG Offenbach Hochschule Anhalt Hochschule Niederrhein Hochschule Stuttgart – Media Akademie HTW Dresden Muthesius Kunsthochschule Kiel TH Deggendorf TH Köln - KISD