In cooperation with the Ministry of foreign affairs of Denmark, INDEX presents Award Exhibition 2007 – winners on tour in Ljubljana. The exhibition in City hall atrium – (Mestni trg 1, Ljubljana) will be opened between 4. – 18. June, 8.00 -20.00 o’clock.
INDEX: Award is the biggest design award in the world and is awarded every two years in Copenhagen. An award is given in five categories, and INDEX: awards the winner in each category with a prize of €100 000.
The focus on Design to improve Life differentiates INDEX: Award from other design awards, as design is evaluated in a much broader sense than traditionally, focusing not only on Form, but also on the Context of the design, e.g. ethical and cultural considerations, and the Impact including the number of people affected, sustainability and level of innovation.
INDEX: Award does not categorize design according to traditional labels – visual design, apparel and industrial design – since these categories do not fully reflect the interdisciplinary approach employed in most interesting modern design.
INDEX: asks that the nomination bodies to think horizontally, across design categories and industries, when selecting their nominees for the five categories vital to human life; Body, Home, Work, Play and Community.
The winning designs are chosen by an international jury consisting of leading designers, design researchers, design writers and design thinkers from Europe, Africa, Australia, Asia and the USA.
BODY
The INDEX: Award Body category is comprised of design related to the human body, including clothing, shoes accessories, body decoration, medicine, nutrition, appliances and aids used in treatment and care, as well as body-related technology. Also included in this category are services related to care and strategies regarding vital processes and public health.
The winner in the Body category for INDEX: Award 2007 was Canadian designer Sébastien Dubois, who designed a low-cost, high-quality foot prosthesis that can be locally produced for only 8 US Dollars. In order to keep production costs down, “Mobility for Each One” can be produced in any conventional workshop, and the materials needed are easily available.
PLAY
The Play category is comprised of design related to sport, leisure and culture, including design for playgrounds, leisure facilities, toy, games and equipment used for sports and recreation.
The winner in the INDEX: Award Play category in 2007 was the 100% electric sports car, “Tesla Roadster”, which with zero emissions and zero-to-sixty acceleration in less than four seconds is the natural choice for the eco-conscious car enthusiast.
HOME
The Home category is comprised of design related to human habitats, including residential architecture, interior design, domestic furniture, tools and appliances, services for the home and strategies for ways of living and new forms of co-habitation.
The winner in the INDEX: Award Home category in 2007 was “Solar Bottle” designed by Italian designer Alberto Meda and Argentinean designer Francisco Gomez Paz. Solar Bottle is a simple, low-cost solution for treating unsafe drinking water with the aid of sunlight at a household level.
COMMUNITY
The Community category is comprised of design we share communally, including design of and for public spaces, such as roads, infrastructure, means of transport, signage, mass media and communication. Also included in this category are the designs of strategies, services and concepts for society, networking and communities.
The winner in the INDEX: Award Community category in 2007 was the low-cost personal computer “OLPC XO1”, developed to offer children in developing countries a genuine opportunity to learn.
WORK
The Work category is comprised of design related to the workplace, including architecture, interior design, work tools, communications, strategies for work environment issues and strategies for organizational and managerial development.
The winner in the INDEX: Award Work category in 2007 was won by a team of design students, who on the backdrop of experiences with emergency services in connection to the London 7/7 bombings designed a simple oropharyngeal airway device, “Tongue Sucker”, specifically developed to be used by untrained persons on unconscious casualties.
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
The People’s Choice Award was presented on the basis of votes cast by the audience of INDEX: Award Exhibition 2007 in Copenhagen and the readers of the Danish newspaper Politiken. The People’s Choice Award is kindly sponsored by Fritz Hansen A/S.
The winner of the INDEX: AWARD People’s Choice Award 2007 was Danish designer Hân Pham with “Antivirus” – a sharps container for disposal of hypodermic needles. With Antivirus, Hân Pham transforms a ubiquitous piece of trash into a potentially life-saving device as the design prevents needlestick injuries and transmission of blood-borne diseases.
INDEX Is supporteD By the DanIsh MInIstry of econoMIc anD BusIness affaIrs, Jl-fonDet,
the MarketIng DenMark funD, the capItal regIon of DenMark, the confeDeratIon of DanIsh Industry, VInk a/s, georg Jensen a/s anD frItz hansen a/s.
INDEX: AWARD 2009
INDEX: Award Exhibition 2009 opens August 21 2009 in Copenhagen once again showing the best examples of Design to Improve Life with representatives from more than 20 countries around the world.
On August 28 2009, the best nominees are selected as winners of INDEX: Award 2009 at the INDEX: Award Ceremony in Copenhagen attended by HRH The Crown Prince of Denmark and HRH The Crown Princess.
As in 2007, the INDEX: Award Exhibition 2009 will tour the world. So keep your eyes and ears open – the exhibition will come to a city near you.
Visit www.indexaward.dk for a full list of finalists for INDEX: Award 2007 and from May 20 2009, you can learn all about the finalists for INDEX: Award 2009.
