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 2022

March - April 2021Nomination proposalsof the universities

Early MayNotification of nominees

11 June 2021Registration deadline

18 June 2021Deadline portfolio

5/6 August 2021Jury session

August 2021Notification of jury results

November 2021Publication of the online gallery

February 2022Awards show

Maria Bürger

Born 1996 in Freital, Germany Studies Communication design at the HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences – Design and Culture Department for 2016 to 2020, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Current employment Since 2020 as Head of Communications, Deutsche Theatertechnische Gesellschaft.

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Kalina Todorova Kondeva

Born 1996 in Sofia, Bulgaria Studies Industrial design at the BUW Bergische Universität Wuppertal from 2015 to 2020, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Current employment Since 2020 at the Muthesius University of Fine Arts and Design, User Interface Design. Also a working student in the UI/UX team, Chroma Experience GmbH.

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Felix Thode

Born 1997 in Bremervörde, Germany Studies Sustainable design at the Hochschule Fresenius University of Applied Science, ecosign / Akademie für Gestaltung design academy 2016 to 2021, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Current employment Freelancer.

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Anne Bansen

Born 1990 in Berlin, Germany Studies Industrial design at the HTW Berlin University of Applied Sciences from 2015 to 2020, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Current employment Design master programme student at the Potsdam University of Applied Sciences since 2020/21.

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Justine Masché

Born 1992 in Fulda, Germany Studies Berlin University of the Arts, Fashion Design department, from 2014 to 2019, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Current employment Product Developer & Design Coordinator, Vivienne Westwood, London.

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