Singapore – The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) today announces the return of the Furniture Design Award (FDA). The 2016 edition is now open for entries submission, at http://www.furnituredesignaward.sg/.
First launched in 1993, FDA aims to discover new design talents, both locally and internationally, and to be a reputable showcase for the unique creations of the best creative minds. The award seeks design talents from all over the world to showcase their unique creations amongst international furniture manufacturers and designers. Winning entries will be showcased at SingaPlural 2016, held in conjunction with the International Furniture Fair Singapore 2016/ 33rd ASEAN Furniture Show (IFFS/AFS 2016), The Décor Show, and Hospitality 360⁰.
FDA 2016 will take on a ‘free style’ approach where designers are welcomed to exercise their creativity without restrictions, and demonstrate their originality through this open call for submissions. Unlike in previous years, the awards will be presented for a single Designers category, and is open to participants of all backgrounds, including design students and professionals. In addition, the prize money will be doubled to an attractive figure of S$20,000.
Mr Mark Yong, Vice President of SFIC and Chairman of Design Development, said, "Now in its 22nd edition, FDA is well-regarded within the furniture industry. Through the awards, we hope to nurture design talents, and provide an avenue for designers to express their creativity and gain recognition within the furniture industry. By eliminating previous restrictions on age and background, we wish to encourage participation from the younger generation, and provide these budding young designers with opportunities to kickstart their career in furniture design.”
FDA 2016’s panel of judges will feature prominent industry personalities and international designers from diverse backgrounds. Entries will be judged on four main criteria, namely, degree of innovation, marketability, functionality, and environmental awareness.
The jurors for FDA 2016 are:
• Patrick Chia (Chief Juror), Director, Squeeze Design & Design Director, Division of Industrial Design (NUS), Design Incubation Centre (Singapore);
• Colin Seah, Design Director, Ministry of Design (Singapore);
• Jurgen Bey, Art Director, Studio Makkink & Bey (The Netherlands);
• Prof. Byungkil Kang, Professor, Industrial Design Department; Dean, College of Arts, Sookmyung Women’s University & Director General, Design Research Institute of Seoul Design Foundation (South Korea);
• Shin Azumi, Founder, a studio (United Kingdom);
• Tony Chang, Chief Advisor, Taiwan Design Center (Taiwan).
Chief juror of FDA 2016, Mr Patrick Chia, shared, “A well-designed furniture piece is more than just form or shape; the winning combination is something that balances environmental and business sustainability with how users aspire to live. I expect to see entries that demonstrate a certain depth of thinking in this edition of FDA. Those interested should come forward to show us their ideas for furniture pieces of the future.”
FDA 2016 is supported by DesignSingapore Council, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, SPRING Singapore, DesignS, American Hardwood Export Council, and IFFS Pte Ltd.
Registration for FDA 2016 opens on 10 March 2015 and closes on 10 August 2015. For more information, including the terms and conditions for application and of the awards, please visit www.furnituredesignaward.sg or write in to enquiry@furnituredesignaward.sg.
###
About Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC)
Singapore Furniture Industries Council was established in 1981 as the official representative body of Singapore’s furniture industry. It currently represents 95% of established furniture manufacturers in Singapore, of whom 65% have subsidiary manufacturing plants in the region including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Its primary role is to promote the interests of its members and the Singapore furniture industry. Many of its initiatives aim to facilitate members’ exposure to the world market, develop local talent and encourage entrepreneurship.
Through SFIC Institute, its training and education arm, the SFIC offers development courses to ensure its graduates remain competitive and relevant to the latest industry developments. It also manages the International Furniture Centre and organises SingaPlural, a week-long design celebration, held in conjunction with the annual International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show, The Décor Show and Hospitality 360°.
To ensure the industry’s growth and viability, SFIC continues to forge close partnerships with the government and trade-related agencies to harness technology, knowledge and information for effective strategic planning. For more information, please visit www.singaporefurniture.com.
About Furniture Design Award
The Furniture Design Award (FDA) is an annual furniture design competition organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC). First launched in 1993, the competition was formerly known as the Furniture Design Competition, and it was renamed the FDA in 2003. The Award aims to discover new design talents and to be a reputable showcase for the unique creations of the best creative minds. Increasingly, the Award has become a platform for exchange and networking of furniture manufacturers and designers.
A part of SingaPlural – an annual design festival in March which showcases the best design elements from the multi-faceted creative spectrum of advertising, architecture, urban planning, landscape architecture, as well as interior, furniture, graphic and fashion design – the FDA is held in conjunction with the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show (IFFS/AFS), one of Asia’s premiere furniture trade shows.
SingaPlural is also the anchor event of the Singapore Design Week.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Alina Tee
Red Bug Communications
+65 6220 4787
alina@redbugpr.com
Karen Chan
Singapore Furniture Industries Council
+65 6505 9180
karen@singaporefurniture.com
Yvonne Teh
Singapore Furniture Industries Council
+65 6505 9160
yvonneteh@singaporefurniture.com
Sarah Carlos
Singapore Furniture Industries Council
+65 6505 9166
sarah@singaporefurniture.com
- Distributed via http://www.AsiaToday.com
