Design Innovation in Plastics Competition
Established in 1985, Design Innovation In Plastics is now the longest running student plastics design award in Europe. It is co-organised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3) and the Worshipful Company of Horners, an ancient City Livery Company that has forged strong links with the plastics industry.
Both IOM3 and the Worshipful Company of Horners play important roles in the field of education, and this award was set up to encourage plastics design innovation and best practice in our future product designers.
Further information is available from Sylvia Katz, Award Co-ordinator.
2010 competition
The 2010 theme is Refreshing Design: A Novel Solution to an Existing Problem. Entrants are required to design a product suitable for mass production in plastics that clearly demonstrates creativity and value for money in a refreshing way.
Selecting from the wide range of polymeric materials generally available, the product should addresses economic and environmental concerns. The design might save overall lifetime costs or be a modification of a product targeted at a new market, allowing an item to be rejuvenated rather than discarded. It could exploit emerging technologies that deliver positive changes in energy efficiency.
Sustainability guidelines of reducing, reusing and recycling will be important, as will overall economic and social considerations.
Successful entries will exploit the intrinsic properties of the materials and manufacturing methods chosen while showing evidence of total cost control, environmental awareness and originality.
The competition is open to all undergraduate and postgraduate students registered in the UK for the academic year 2009-10. The deadline for entries is 16 October.
Downloadable files
Details of 2010 competition (PDF 768KB)
Poster for 2010 competition (PDF 864KB)2009 competition
The theme of the 2009 competition was sustainable design.
The DIG garden tools won
the 2009 Design
Innovation in
Plastics competition
Entrants to the competition were invited to design a product suitable for mass production in plastics that clearly demonstrated the principles of sustainable design.
Six finalists were selected from 77 entries submitted by 27 universities. The final judging session took take place on 2 June in Bayer MaterialScience's VisionWorks centre at the Tower of London.
James Ravenhall won the competition with his DIG garden tool set comprising a trowel, leaf grabber, edger and seeding pot. The products can be pressed out from one laser-cut sheet of polypropylene that requires no packaging. The products are easy to clean to allow users who have a minimal amount of space to keep them inside the home in a hygienic manner, preventing them from becoming weathered.
Judge Mandy Haberman, Haberman Associates, said, 'DIG is a beautifully designed product range that hits the sustainability button on all levels...the products are flat packed for storage, can be reused and eventually recycled. James' professional treatment of his project has resulted in a brand range that is ready for presentation to the market'.
James wins £1,000 plus a placement with Bayer MaterialScience in Germany, together with £500 for his university.
FIRST PRIZE: DIG Flatpack Garden Tools: James Ravenhall, Northumbria University.
SECOND PRIZE: Camping Claw Tent Peg: A peg for use without a mallet that is pushed into wet, dry or frozen ground with the foot, designed by Oliver Woodhouse, University of Huddersfield.
THIRD PRIZE: Clean Lock Hygienic Handle: An anti-superbug door handle that releases gel cleanser onto the palm of the hand as it is operated, by Joshua Sheard, University of Huddersfield.
Highly commended:
LifeGrip Life Belt, by Mark Staweczny, University of Huddersfield.
Unaflo bathroom system, by Jonathon Shek, Northumbria University.
Pull Light, by Hannes Simon, University College Falmouth.
Downloadable files
Details of 2009 finalists (PDF 63k)
Competition brief (PDF 643k)
Sponsors (PDF 114k)