Entries Sought for Furniture Concept Design Award

Furniture World News

The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) announced that they are now calling for entries for the much anticipated Furniture Design Award (FDA) 2008. The theme for FDA 2008 – “TENSION” – encourages participants in the Students and Young Designers categories to explore the element of tension in their design concepts. Mr Andrew Pang, Chairman of the FDA 2008 Organizing Committee, said, “We have given much thought in choosing a theme that will stretch the imagination of budding designers. I am excited as “TENSION” will challenge their creativity to the hilt yet allow them tremendous free play in the process. We wish to inspire them to think beyond the general definition of “TENSION” and design something that will ‘blow us away’. The annual FDA has unearthed many design talents and we want to continue to identify designers of tomorrow as Singapore establishes its position as a furniture design hub”. “Through the FDA, we create opportunities for promising designers to showcase their talent in coming out with inspiring designs and concepts. It also creates avenues for talented designers to network with industry players who may be instrumental in giving them a head start in their careers. Many of the previous FDA winners have gone on to achieve great success in the local and international furniture design scene and I hope this batch of participants will succeed likewise,” added Mr Simon Ong, Chairman of the Design Development Committee for SFIC. FDA 2008 consists of three categories. The Open Category is open to participants from all over the world, on a company basis, with entries that have been manufactured and launched commercially in the market; the Young Designers Category is open to participants from the Asia Pacific region, aged 35 years and below as of 1 March 2008; and the Students Category is open to all full-time students from educational institutions in the ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam). This is the first year that the Students Category will be opened to students from the ASEAN region. Since the inaugural event in 1993, the FDA has seen a steady growth in the number of participants. The recently concluded FDA 2007 received a total of 377 entries from Singapore and 13 other countries across the world namely Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. The expansion in the Students Category will cater to the interest from students in the ASEAN region and heighten the competition, bringing the standard of designs in the category to another level. In addition, SFIC will be initiating mentoring sessions for the finalists of the Students Category. Industry players will be invited to act as mentors who will guide them during the production of their prototypes for the final judging. With the mentoring sessions, the students will be taught the necessary know-how in translating their designs into actual furniture pieces. This will help enhance their professional development as designers of the future. Entries to FDA 2008 will be judged by a panel of prominent industry personalities and renowned international designers on their interpretation of the theme, creativity, marketability and functionality including aspects of environmental-friendliness and ergonomics. Entries in the Open Category, however, need not be confined to the theme. The closing date for the Students and Young Designers categories is Friday, 31 August 2007 and the Open Category is Wednesday, 31 October 2007, before 5pm Singapore time. The finals will be held on 28 February 2008, with the results announced on the same day. Entries in the Students and Young Designers categories will vie for the FDA Merit, FDA Honourable Mention and FDA Grand Awards as well as a “Best Use of Wood” Award while entries in the Open Category will compete for the FDA Honourable Mention and FDA Grand Awards. Winners for FDA 2008 will stand to receive a certificate and trophy and up to S$6,000 in cash. Top-prize winners in the Students and Young Designers categories can also participate in SFIC’s Designer Co-development Programme and stand to win a 12-month internship contract with some of Singapore’s prominent furniture manufacturers. At the end of the internship, the winners will get to produce at least one design of their own and be invited to showcase their designs at PLATFORM, which is held in conjunction with Asia’s premier design-led furniture trade exhibition, the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show, from 1 to 5 March at the Singapore Expo. To further value-add to the FDA, SFIC will also be introducing a customised FDA logo and winners of the award will be able to incorporate it onto their name cards, email, letterheads and other publicity materials. FDA 2008 is supported by DesignSingapore Council, International Enterprise Singapore (IE Singapore), Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING Singapore), American Hardwood Export Council, the Designers Association of Singapore, Interior Design Confederation (Singapore) and Singapore Institute of Architects. For more information on FDA 2008, visit www.singaporefurniture.com. About Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) Singapore Furniture Industries Council was established in 1981 as the official representative body of Singapore's furniture industry. It currently represents 95 per cent of established furniture manufacturers in Singapore, of whom 65 per cent have subsidiary manufacturing plants in the region including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Its primary role is to promote the interests of its members and the Singapore furniture industry. Many of its initiatives aim to facilitate members' exposure to the world market, develop local talent and encourage entrepreneurship. SFIC also organises the annual Furniture Design Award to spur trendsetting furniture designs from Asia. To ensure the industry’s growth and viability, SFIC continues to forge close partnerships with the government and trade-related agencies to harness technology, knowledge and information for effective strategic planning.