Now in its tenth edition, the Lexus Design Award continues to evolve since its launch in 2013 with the mission of supporting and nurturing young creators. The Lexus Design Award program identifies promising talent whose fresh ideas receive a high-profile cross-media introduction on an established platform respected by the global creative community. Finalists were chosen for their original solutions contributing to a better tomorrow, while articulating the Lexus brand's three core principles — Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate; while seamlessly enhancing the happiness of all.

Lexus Design Award 2022 Finalists

• Chitofoam by Charlotte Böhning & Mary Lempres (dual USA - Germany and dual USA - Norway, based in USA)

A biodegradable packaging solution derived from the exoskeletons of mealworms that have digested polystyrene foam waste.

• Hammock Wheelchair by Wondaleaf (Malaysia)

A combination wheelchair, forklift and hammock for reducing the manual lifting of patients by caregivers.

• Ina Vibe by Team Dunamis (Nigeria)

A sustainable cooking, charging and lighting product.

• Rewind by Poh Yun Ru (Singapore)

A platform that leverages multi-sensory stimulation to prompt meaningful recollection for seniors with dementia.

• Sound Eclipse by Kristil & Shamina (Russia)

A noise cancelling device that reduces noise from outside when placed near an open window.

• Tacomotive by Kou Mikuni (Japan)

A tangible driving simulator for children with visual and aural challenges.

Lexus Design Award 2022 judge Anupama Kundoo said, “I was impressed by the creators’ sensitivity to real-life issues faced by individuals with disabilities and the challenges facing society, such as sustainable coexistence with nature. The mentoring process will optimize the impact of the finalists’ designs. I greatly enjoyed working with such a diverse jury and finding so much alignment. Where there were different perspectives, those too were complementary and aligned in their core values.”

Earlier in January, the six finalists participated in a five-day workshop with four mentors: Sam Baron, Joe Doucet, Sabine Marcelis, and Yosuke Hayano. Interacting directly with these leading lights, the finalists received professional guidance to explore the potential of their ideas and help bring them to life. Finalists will continue working with mentors to flesh-out their prototypes throughout the three months or so leading up to the Grand Prix.

In Spring 2022 the judging panel, comprising renowned creative visionaries Paola Antonelli, Anupama Kundoo, Bruce Mau and Simon Humphries, will select the Grand Prix Winner based on the finalists’ presentations of how their prototypes put their design concepts into practice.

In exclusive individual follow-up sessions, the six finalists will receive personalized consultations with each of the panel members to explore career paths and give a flying start to their further professional development.

* For more information, please visit LexusDesignAward.com

Official Hashtag: #lexusdesignaward

Chitofoam

Chitofoam is a material research project that reuses discarded polystyrene foam as food for mealworms, and then utilizes their exoskeletons such as their discarded shells. It has been found that mealworms can safely digest polystyrene, and biopolymers made from chitosan extracted from their exoskeleton will be used to create an environmentally friendly alternative to polystyrene foam.

By Charlotte Böhning (dual USA - Germany) & Mary Lempres  (dual USA - Norway)

Based in USA, Charlotte Böhning & Mary Lempres are classmates pursuing their Master's of Industrial Design at the Pratt Institute. They have respective backgrounds in development and behavioural economics, chemistry, and fine art. Their collaborative design practice is centered on material-driven innovation, empathic technologies, and human-centric factors.

Hammock Wheelchair

By combining features of a wheelchair, forklift, and hammock, caregivers can move and transfer patients without having to manually lift them. A cloth with tunnel casings acts as a pallet, while a wheelchair with two prongs acts like a forklift.

By Wondaleaf (Alex Wong, Reuben Tang, Louis Tang, Wong Ping Ming, John Tang, Lau Yien Yien and Sii How Sing), based in Malaysia

The team members of Wondaleaf are part of a medical device innovation company.  Each member specializes in different aspects of the design and production process. After some team members had difficulty caring for patients after running a nursing home, they partnered to design a device to assist caregivers and patients at these facilities.

Ina Vibe

Ina Vibe is a lightweight, portable gas-powered cooking burner/stove with a thermoelectric generator that harnesses heat energy to generate sustainable, affordable and clean electricity, making it possible to cook, charge and light in a sustainable and healthy way.

Team Dunamis (Obasogie Okpamen, Obasogie Osasumwen, Anastacia Amadi, Uwague Aizeyosabo and Omolehin Emmanuel), based in Nigeria

Team Dunamis is a group of five graduates of Engineering and Business Management from Landmark University and Rivers State University in Nigeria. They are passionate about creating energy solutions, human-centered products and systems geared towards transforming their continent for the better. They aim to be a beacon for hope in their communities.

Rewind

Designed to evoke memories, Rewind uses a motion-tracking tool that guides seniors with dementia in re-enacting familiar gestures. These actions are then reflected as audio-visual feedback on a paired device that triggers recollection.

Poh Yun Ru, based in Singapore

Poh Yun Ru is a socially engaged product designer who seeks to create a positive impact on society by improving the lives of others. Living in a culturally rich and diverse society, she sees design as a methodology to develop intuitive and inclusive solutions for people from all walks of life.

Sound Eclipse

Installed in front of half-open windows, the microphone on the back of Sound Eclipse captures noise, while speakers emit sound waves of identical amplitude to the original noise but of inverted phase. These waves combine and cancel each other out.

Kristil & Shamina (Kristina Loginova and Shamil Sahabiev) based in Russia

Shamil Sahabiev is an industrial designer who has also worked as a concept artist, contributing his designs to multiple video game titles, including games for VR. Kristina Loginova, as a product manager, has helped to turn many creative ideas into profitable businesses. Together they are now focused on industrial design with the goal of creating things that benefit society and bring the future closer.

Tacomotive

The texture of the paper, especially its roughness and softness, changes subtly with pattern cutting. Using this phenomenon, I designed an analog driving game to enjoy tactile exploration, inspired by the concept of co-creating communication in the education of children with visual and aural challenges.

Kou Mikuni, based in Japan

Kou Mikuni graduated the Department of Integrated Science (natural science) at the University of Tokyo, and is currently a doctoral student studying design at the School of Engineering (mechanical engineering) of the same university.

ABOUT LEXUS DESIGN AWARD

Launched in 2013, the Lexus Design Award is an international competition for up-and-coming creators from around the world. The Award seeks to contribute to society by supporting designers and creators whose work shows potential to shape a better future. Six finalists gain a rare opportunity to prototype their designs under the mentorship of leading designers. The Lexus Design Award provides global media exposure to drive professional career advancement.

Since the Lexus Design Award’s launch in 2013, up-and-coming creators have been given the once-in-a-lifetime experience of mentorship from some of the design world's most famous names. For the 2022 edition, Beijing-based architect Yosuke Hayano and France and Portugal-based designer Sam Baron will join designer Joe Doucet, now in his third year as a mentor, and designer Sabine Marcelis, who joined the mentor line-up in 2021.

The mentorship programme sets the Lexus Design Award apart from other competitions. It gives the finalists direct access to elite working professionals who guide them in exploring the potential of their ideas and finalising their prototypes and presentations.

Yosuke Hayano is a principal partner of MAD Architects, directing teams known for their fresh vision of Asian architecture, as expressed in major projects worldwide. Sam Baron, a visionary creative leader, creates products and experiences, mixing art and design, from concept to completion for some of the world’s leading brands.

“To be part of the mentor team is an honour, as the Lexus Design Award is about creative empowerment of the next generation,” said Baron. “To share explorations and experiences with the selected candidates is a unique opportunity to get to know young international talents who will challenge themselves to be among the finalists. I will enjoy my time with them on my mission of finding their key assets, making them grow and glow—to express their concept and also their personalities.”

The judging criteria for Lexus Design Award 2022 draw on the three key principles of the Lexus brand: Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate. Entries are expected to anticipate global challenges facing future society and suggest engaging and innovative ways to contribute to a sustainable future, while seamlessly enhancing the happiness of all. Lexus is looking for captivating designs that intersect with thoughtful solutions, designs that can truly make a brighter future for people and societies in diverse circumstances.

An all-star judging committee will review the entries from around the globe, announcing the six finalists in early 2022. Lexus funds the finalists’ prototype development with a budget of up to JPY 3-million (more than USD 25,000) per design. In spring 2022, the finalists will present their completed proposals to the judges, who will then select one Grand Prix winner.

Entries for the Lexus Design Award 2022 will be accepted up to 10^th October.

* For more information, please visit LexusDesignAward.com

Official Hashtag: #LexusDesignAward

LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2022 PANEL OF MENTORS

SAM BARON

DESIGNER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR, SAM BARON & Co

A visionary creative leader, Sam Baron creates products and experiences, giving life to cross-over works mixing art and design that drive innovative ideas from concept to completion. His work touches many fields across hospitality, retail, design, fashion, and culture. From a global perspective, Baron leads sophisticated initiatives that create an experience for some of the world’s leading brands. For a decade, he has been a consultant as design director for Fabrica, an international communication research centre based in Italy.

In 2009 Baron received the "Grand Prix de la Creation de la Ville de Paris" in the design category, and in 2010 Philippe Starck selected him as one of the 10 important designers of the next decade. His work is constantly featured in the international press and included in international museum collections. Recently Baron has been awarded the special PAD Paris fair prize. He currently lives and works between Portugal and France.

JOE DOUCET

FOUNDER, JOE DOUCET X PARTNERS

A designer, entrepreneur, inventor and creative director, Joe Doucet is one of the most sought-after creative talents working in the USA today. His work deftly hybridises function and visual appeal while conveying layers of meaning and message. Doucet believes that design and, more importantly, a designer’s thought process can play a larger role in innovation and problem solving, as well as aesthetics. He currently holds numerous patents for his designs and inventions.

Doucet’s work has been exhibited globally and has received numerous international awards, including a World Technology Award for Design Innovation and multiple Good Design Awards. Doucet was named the 2017 Winner of the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award as Product Designer—the highest honour in his field. He was also a Designer of the Year 2019 finalist by Dezeen, and a recipient of Fast Company’s Most Important Design Companies of 2019.

YOSUKE HAYANO

 PRINCIPAL PARTNER, MAD ARCHITECTS

Yosuke Hayano, an architect from Japan, is principal partner of MAD Architects based in Beijing, China. MAD is led by Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, and Yosuke and is committed to developing futuristic, organic, technologically advanced designs that embody a contemporary interpretation of the Eastern affinity for nature. With a vision for the city of the future based on the spiritual and emotional needs of residents, MAD endeavours to create a balance between humanity, the city and the environment.

Yosuke has been the winner of several high-profile awards, including the Architecture League of New York Young Architects Award (2006), the Design for Asia Award (2011), and the Kumamoto Artpolis Award (2011). He served as a visiting lecturer at the Waseda Art and Architecture School from 2008 to 2012 and at Tokyo University from 2010 to 2012. In addition, he acted as an external examiner at the Architectural Association of London from 2015 to 2019.

SABINE MARCELIS

DESIGNER / FOUNDER, STUDIO SABINE MARCELIS

Sabine Marcelis is a Dutch designer who runs her practice from the harbour in Rotterdam. After graduating from the Design Academy of Eindhoven in 2011, she began working as an independent designer in the fields of product, installation and spatial design with a strong focus on materiality. Her work is characterised by pure forms which highlight material properties.

Marcelis applies a strong aesthetic point of view to her collaborations with industry specialists. This method of working allows her to intervene in the manufacturing process, using material research and experimentation to achieve new and surprising visual effects for projects both showcased in museums and commissioned by commercial clients and fashion houses. Sabine won the prestigious Wallpaper awards ‘Designer of the Year 2020,’ The Elle Deco International Design award 2019 'Young Designer of the Tear’ and ‘GQ Men of the year 2019’ International Artist of the Year.

Lexus believes that the innovative approach of Anupama Kundoo, whose many experimental community-centric projects blend craft traditions with modern architectural techniques, is vital for nurturing the potential of up-and-coming creators. Bruce Mau, who launched his career in graphic design, has championed his vision that "design can change the world,” for decades and his broad multi-disciplinary approach resonates with the Lexus Design Award's theme of Design for a Better Tomorrow.

Bruce Mau said, “I’m deeply honoured to be part of the Lexus Design Award competition because this program takes on the important responsibility of encouraging tomorrow’s designers and empowering them to make the world a better place for us all. Lexus recognizes the great value in leveraging the best in design talent and providing the six competition finalists with a solid foundation and financial support to advance their projects. The competition’s emphasis on mentorship is particularly meaningful to me, as many years ago a mentor helped define the direction of my life as a designer.”

This elite judging panel will select six finalists in early 2022, from the global entries. The judges will be seeking proposals that most effectively embody the Lexus brand’s three key principles of Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate, while seamlessly bringing happiness to all. Finalists will then be mentored by four renowned creators, to develop prototypes and present their visions. In the spring of 2022, the four judges will review the designs presented by the finalists to decide on the Grand Prix winner.

Members of the mentor team will be announced this autumn.

Entries for the Lexus Design Award 2022 will be accepted until October 10^th, 2021.

For more information, please visit LexusDesignAward.com

Official Hashtag: #LexusDesignAward

CALL FOR ENTRIES TO THE LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2022 COMPETITION

PAOLA ANTONELLI

SENIOR CURATOR FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN AT MoMA, NYC

Paola Antonelli is Senior Curator of Architecture & Design at The Museum of Modern Art, as well as MoMA’s founding Director of Research & Development. Her goal is to promote the understanding of design, until its positive influence on the world is universally acknowledged. Her work investigates design’s impact on everyday experiences, often including overlooked objects and practices, and combining design, architecture, art, science, and technology.

She has curated shows, written books, lectured worldwide, and taught in several universities, including Harvard and UCLA. Among her most recent exhibitions are Broken Nature, devoted to the idea of restorative design (conceived as the XXII Triennale di Milano) and Material Ecology, on the ground-breaking work of architect Neri Oxman. She is currently working on several new sessions of her MoMA R&D Salons; and on the Instagram series @design.emergency, conceived with design critic Alice Rawsthorn and devoted to the role of design in the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. Alice and Paola’s book, Design Emergency, will be published in 2022.

ANAUPAMA KUNDOO

ARCHITECT / FOUNDER OF ANUPAMA KUNDOO ARCHITECTS

Anupama Kundoo graduated from University of Mumbai in 1989 and received her PhD degree from the TU Berlin in 2008. Her research-oriented practice has generated people centric architecture based on spatial and material research for low environmental impact while being socio-economically beneficial. Her body of works was recently exhibited as a solo show 'Taking Time' at Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark in Spring of 2021. She has taught Architecture and Urban Management at various international universities strengthening her expertise in rapid urbanization and climate change related development issues, and was the Davenport Visiting Professor at Yale University in Spring 2020.

She is currently a Professor at Potsdam School of Architecture, Germany and the winner of the 2021 Auguste Perret Prize for her contribution to architectural technologies and the 2021 recipient of the RIBA Charles Jencks Award.

BRUCE MAU

CO-FOUNDER & CEO, MASSIVE CHANGE NETWORK

Designer, author, educator, artist and entrepreneur Bruce Mau practices a holistic life-centred design approach grounded in empathy and fact-based optimism to help clients and collaborators envision and articulate their purpose and future. Across thirty years of design innovation, he’s worked with global brands and companies, leading organizations, heads of state, renowned artists and fellow optimists. He became an international figure with the publication of S,M,L,XL, designed and co-authored with Rem Koolhaas. His most recent book, Mau: MC24 – Bruce Mau’s 24 Principles for Designing Massive Change in Your Life and Work, offers readers a mindset and toolkit that can be applied to any type of challenge or at any scale to create impact and positive transformation.

SIMON HUMPHRIES

HEAD OF TOYOTA & LEXUS GLOBAL DESIGN

Simon Humphries is Head of Toyota & Lexus Global Design. He was appointed to oversee design for both brands in 2018. As Head of Lexus Global Design Humphries seeks to define Lexus' unique values in the form of a brand philosophy, incorporating a clear cultural reference to Lexus' Japanese heritage and building a design direction that is relevant to car owners around the world.

Humphries joined the company in 1994. His many roles in leadership and advanced design include defining the Lexus signature grille that has become an icon for the Lexus brand. In 2016, he became President of ED2 (Toyota Europe Design Development) where his team spearheaded development of mobility concepts such as the Toyota e-Palette concept as part of the brand’s transition from “automotive company” to “mobility company.” Humphries began his career in design in 1988 when he was awarded the Royal Society of Arts Bursary Prize for Product Design in the UK. The award gave him the opportunity to work for Sony, which jumpstarted his passion for living and working in Japan. In his spare time Humphries enjoys carpentry and is restoring a 100-year-old Japanese farmhouse.

The Lexus Design Award is an international design competition launched in 2013 to nurture and support the next generation of creators. Now in its 10th year, the Lexus Design Award continues to evolve as a platform for design innovation that leads to a better tomorrow.

Entrants will need to demonstrate how their creative ideas express three key principles of the Lexus brand: Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate.

Their design should anticipate global challenges facing future society and imagine engaging and innovative ways to contribute to a sustainable future, while seamlessly enhancing the happiness of all. Lexus is looking for captivating designs that intersect with thoughtful solutions, designs that can truly make a brighter future for people and societies in diverse circumstances.

An elite judging committee will review the entries from around the globe, choosing six finalists to be announced in early 2022. These finalists will have the opportunity to enter in dialogue with four of the world’s foremost creators, who will provide them a priceless, once-in-a-lifetime learning and mentoring experience. Personal guidance from these mentors of varied backgrounds and specializations will help the finalists to build prototypes that bring out the potential of their ideas.

The finalists’ prototype development will be funded by Lexus with a budget of up to JPY 3 million (about EUR 23,000) per finalist. In the spring of 2022, the six finalists will present their final proposals to the judges, who will then select one Grand Prix winner.

Lexus will announce the names of the Lexus Design Award 2022 judging committee members and mentors in the fall of this year.

Official Hashtag: #lexusdesignaward