With just three weeks until Dezeen Awards entries close, last year’s winners detail the positive outcomes of winning and encourage other studios to enter.
One studio said that winning a Dezeen Award was “a thrilling, rewarding and inspiring experience” while another said it created “new relationships with retailers, media and customers”.
“Winning a Dezeen Award has considerably raised my profile and helped me secure further collaborations,” said a studio that won for their consumer product design.
Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors, is open for entries. There are only three weeks left to submit your project before midnight London time on 1 June and avoid late entry fees.
Read on to see what last year’s winners had to say:
Sex toy company MysteryVibe, which won wearable design of the year for its vibrator aimed at tackling erectile dysfunction, considered winning a Dezeen Award “the ultimate honour”.
“It’s the ultimate honour for us to be recognised for all the hard work over many years that has gone into improving the health and happiness of people across the globe,” said the studio.
“The award resulted in press coverage and media attention in publications that we wouldn’t normally be featured in.”
Japanese firm Quantum won product design of the year and design project of the year for its lightweight foldable wheelchair and told Dezeen that winning last year offered the practice new clients and media exposure, and encouraged other studios to also enter.
“We have received more inquiries from new clients and media who had heard about us winning the award,” said Quantum. “It also resulted in being selected as a part of the permanent collection of the museum Designmuseum Danmark.”
Architecture practice Studio Bua won residential rebirth project of the year for its Icelandic artist’s studio and residence and agreed that winning has led to new opportunities.
“It has positively affected our previous client relationships and it helps when acquiring new clients,” said Studio Bua. “We did see an increase in followers on our social media and clients have mentioned it after they saw that we posted about it.”
“It made me feel like anything is possible and I saw my future career as an artist and designer a lot more clearly,” said designer Kathleen Reilly, who won homeware design of the year for Oku, a knife informed by chopstick rests.
“As a result of winning, I have managed to secure a new collaboration, as well as several press articles and new relationships with retailers, media, and customers.”
“The wooden board which comes with Oku is now being made with Karimoku, Japan’s leading furniture manufacturer, and we are looking to launch this new collaboration this year.”
The team at Dutch practice Olaf Gipser Architects won housing project of the year for their apartment block with planted balconies and their win has served as motivation for future projects.
“We display our Dezeen Awards 2022 trophy at our office close to the entrance and next to a 1:200 scale wooden model,” said Olaf Gipser Architects.
“It reminds us of our achievements and recognitions and gives us all extra motivation to keep on going towards our goals.”
Office G8A Architecture, which won for its stainless steel manufacturing factory designed in collaboration with Switzerland-based Rollimarchini Architects, told Dezeen that winning gained the studio international validation.
“Winning a Dezeen Award can be described as a thrilling, rewarding and inspiring experience,” said G8A Architecture. “It helped us gain international recognition, reaching new clients and new talent for our team.”
Taiwanese architecture studio Atelier Boter won small workspace interior for its glass-fronted community hub and also has its trophy on display in the office.
“We put the trophy on the shelf together with all the books we gain inspiration from – it is a shelf we only place things that we’ve filtered through, as it is what falls in sight every time we walk into our studio,” said Atelier Boter.
“Winning a Dezeen Award is certainly an important encouragement to us as a small studio and it reassures us that we are doing the right thing,” added the studio.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.