The Newcomer Awards

Great talents require a forum! The newcomer awards is a unique distinction for designers who have attracted attention with their extraordinary achievements and creative talent. The renown and international publicity associated with the competition are valuable for the honoured young designers. It is not possible to apply for the endowed awards - representatives of universities or the German Design Council propose the nominees. The international jury of the »German Design Awards« selects five finalists from all nominees. Furthermore, the German Design Council offers all finalists a series of exclusive events where they have the opportunity to meet the foundation members, which include leading experts of the design-oriented industry.

Participation
The Newcomer Awards are open for graduates of the following disciplines: textile, fashion, product, industrial, communication, interior design and architecture. Participants must either have German citizenship or have graduated in design from a university in Germany. The degree should not be more than five years old. Individuals and design teams with several people can participate in the following categories:
- Architecture
- Communications Design
- Fashion and Textile Design
- Industrial and Product Design

Form of submission
Nominees submit a short portfolio to participate in the Newcomer Awards. The respective short portfolio (DIN A4) should consist of a curriculum vitae, portrait photo as well as pictorial and textual representations of a maximum of ten projects. Participants must give preference to three projects from their portfolio which represent their design concept in the best way. The entire portfolio may not exceed 20 pages.
12 June 2020 - Registration deadline
19 June 2020 - Deadline portfolio

Costs
Participation in the Newcomer Awards is free of charge.

Evaluation criteria
The jury evaluates the submitted portfolios regarding to the stylistic independence of the design and their development potential. The following evaluation criteria, among others, are applied:
- Conceptual quality
- Design quality
- Technical and formal autonomy
- Development potential
- Degree of innovation
- Symbolic and emotional content

The Benefits

Prize money

From all nominations, five finalists are selected by the expert jury. At the awards ceremony, one winner will be presented with the Newcomer awards, which comes with a prize money of 15,000 euros. The remaining finalists will each receive 2,500 euros.

Catalogue and gallery

Furthermore, all five finalists will be presented to the public in the gallery at www.german-design-award.com. In addition to this, each finalist will be published with a picture and text in the catalogue of the »German Design Awards 2021«.

Awards ceremony

In February 2021, the festive presentation of the »German Design Awards 2021« will take place at the international consumer goods fair Ambiente in Frankfurt/Main. Numerous representatives from business, politics and the design scene gladly accept the invitation. One of the highlights of the event: the announcement of the Newcomer 2021! All finalists are invited to Frankfurt/Main for this special occasion.

Exhibitions

The awards ceremony is accompanied by two exhibitions in which the finalists are presented. In the exhibitions the projects of all finalists will be presented to the public together with the winners of the »German Design Awards 2021 - Excellent Product Design«, »German Design Awards 2021 - Excellent Communications Design« and »German Design Awards 2021 - Excellent Architecture«.

Start Newcomer 2021

March - April 2020Nomination proposalsof the universities

Early MayNotification of nominees

12 June 2020Registration deadline

19 June 2020Deadline portfolio

30/31 July 2020Jury session

August 2020Notification of jury results

November 2020Publication of the online gallery

February 2021Awards ceremony

The Newcomer Finalists 2021

Julian Peschel

Julian Peschel, born in 1993, is an information designer with a strong passion for research and narrative visuality. His work is primarily based on data available online, with a focus on satellite imagery. It takes a critical look at political and economic conditions and structures.

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Lukas Schmidt

Lukas Schmidt, born in 1992, studied communication design at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences after completing his school-leaving examinations. He graduated with a »Diplom« (master’s equivalent) in 2019. Even during his studies, he worked in the arts scene as a freelance designer on behalf of various renowned agencies in Frankfurt, Munich and Darmstadt.

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Max Witzstrock

Max Witzstrock was born in Munich in 1992. After finishing school, Max Witzstrock studied industrial design at HTW University of Applied Sciences Berlin and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2019. During this time he also spent a semester at Otago Polytechnics, New Zealand.

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David Wojcik

David Wojcik, born in Augsburg in 1989, studied product design at the University of Schwäbisch Gmünd. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 2016. During his studies, in 2015 he was one of the founders of BOXBOTE LOGISTICS GMBH, a company with 52 employees, where he managed the design department. In 2017 he co-founded the INNOIT Agency, which employs twelve people and where he took on the role of creative director. Another company will follow in 2020: KROOT, which he also co-founded.

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Verena Zirngibl

Verena Zirngibl was born in Regensburg in 1996 and completed her school-leaving exams there in 2015. Even as a child, she showed an interest in and a talent for drawing and graphic design, a passion that would later become her career. After school, she decided to start a bachelor’s degree at the Faculty of Design at FHWS University of Applied Sciences, Würzburg.

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