The search is on for the next generation of architecture and design leaders as Formica Corp. announces a call for entries in the FORM Student Innovation Competition, open Sept. 5 through Nov. 10. The challenge occurs nearly a decade after a similar competition in which the company invited architects and designers to create works of art from Formica Brand products. This time around, veterans of firms honored in the first challenge will judge the work of today’s up-and-coming talent to determine the winners of cash prizes, national recognition, and the chance to showcase their work in a public exhibit.
In the 2008 FORM Contemporary Architects at Play challenge, Formica Corp. invited design icons Zaha Hadid, Michael Graves, Bernard Tschumi and Massimo Vignelli among others to create art in the form of something to sit upon, lay upon, lean upon or play upon from Formica Brand products. Their designs, which ranged from domestic pieces to conceptual sculptures, were then exhibited at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, where Formica Corp. is headquartered.
Now in 2017, the FORM Student Innovation Competition invites design students to take up the same challenge of creating a rendering of something to sit upon, lay upon, lean upon or play upon using Formica Brand products. The grand prize winner will receive a $1,500 cash award, and their design will be fabricated and showcased at an unveiling event at the Contemporary Arts Center in 2018. The second-place winner will be awarded $1,000, and the third-place winner will receive $500.
Judges include:
- Melodie Leung with Zaha Hadid Architects
- Rob Van Varick and Donald Strum with Michael Graves Architecture & Design
- R. Roger Remington with the Vignelli Center for Design Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology
- Raphaela Platow with the Contemporary Arts Center
- Renee Hytry Derrington, global design lead for Formica Group
“Many Vignelli designs are now archetypes in the history of design, and it is my hope that the winners achieve the same,” says R. Roger Remington, Vignelli Distinguished Professor of Design and Director of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies, Rochester Institute of Technology.
There are many students out there who have talents to be discovered, said Hytry Derrington. “Students who enter have an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of these design greats and have their work reviewed by individuals from some of the top architectural firms in the industry.”
“It is an honor to represent Zaha Hadid Architects in the FORM Student Innovation competition judging. Zaha’s belief in the power of invention continues to drive and inspire us every day, and it is a privilege to work with this new generation of designers,” says Melodie Leung, associate at Zaha Hadid Architects.
Entries will be accepted Sept. 5, 2017, through Nov. 10, 2017.
Students are invited to email their entries (a rendering in PDF form) to [email protected]. More information, including complete contest details and rules, are available here. at formica.com/studentcompetition. Winners will be officially announced to the public in March 2018. The original designs from the 2008 FORM Challenge are available to view on Formica Corp. Facebook page.