Following last year's highly successful UK launch of the Monaco Luxe Pack Design Awards, the 2005 Awards are back and again offering young professional designers the opportunity to win €10,000 and accelerate their career in the international luxury packaging market.
With 'luxury' being one of the key growth areas in packaging today, this international design competition is well positioned at the heart of the luxury market. In partnership with the Principality of Monaco, it forms part of Luxe Pack – the leading international trade fair dedicated to the design and packaging of luxury products – held in November 2005, at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
2005 sees the third international Monaco Luxe Pack Design Award offering young professional designers the chance to showcase their skills, and compete with their peers from across the world.
Eight countries participate in the competition – Japan, Brazil, USA, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Firstly, each country holds their own national competition, with the winner from each awarded €2,000 to develop a model of their design. The country winners also enjoy a fabulous trip to Monaco for the international final held at Luxe Pack in November 2005.
There each international finalist presents his/her idea before the international panel, and the overall winner is awarded €10,000, a trophy and the opportunity to demonstrate his/her talents to the wider design, luxury and packaging industries.
Unusually, the competition is exclusively for young designers at the start of their career with between one and five years work experience. They can work in any business sector, either as a freelance designer or working for a design-oriented agency. The competition is not open to students.
The brief in 2005 is to design a luxury bottle of water. The theme for this year's design is 'Celebration in Monaco'. Entrants are asked to encompass the design, the closing system of the bottle, the finish[es] as well as the brand name and identity. The 750ml bottle design should also be considered feasible to manufacture [albeit with no economical constraints].
UK Entrants will be judged by a UK panel of design experts, consisting of chairman Jonathan Ford [creative partner, Pearlfisher], Lynda Relph-Knight [editor, Design Week], Simon Berry [chairman, Berry Bros & Rudd], Steve Wilson [ex-head of innovations, Diageo] and Karen Dyer [graphics and presence manager, Coca-Cola GB].
UK finalists will be invited to attend a dedicated showcase and awards event at the Design Council, London, where their work will be seen by professionals and media from the design, packaging and luxury goods sectors. Each UK finalist will receive a certificate, with the UK winner being awarded €2,000 to develop a prototype of their design, plus all travelling expenses to Monaco for the international final in November 2005.
As Jonathan Ford, chairman of the UK judging panel explains: "Luxury is constantly changing and subjective, and it is design which is the force which creates luxury desire today. This competition offers young designers the opportunity to illustrate their talents and compete against their international peers. For the UK design industry as a whole it is a chance to showcase our abilities and, I hope, rank as the best in the world."
Registration for the UK competition has to be completed by 15 April 2005. The closing date is 20 May 2005.
