Czech Design Award Finishes 10th Edition Of Czech Design Week Festival In Mánes Gallery

The main prize in the Best of Design category was awarded to multi-disciplinary artist and designer Pavlína Šváchová for her collection of cup objects, which are the result of finding a way in pushing the boundaries between art and design. Jakub Knápek, a glass designer and student of the Faculty of Arts and Design of the Usti Region of Jan Evangelista Purkyne University (FUD UJEP), won the award in the category Discovery of the Year, who presented his bachelor thesis to the public at Czech Design Week. The work entitled Static Records represents the result of the author's experimentation with molten plastic.

The jury prize for the best installation went to the young Slovak designer Lucia Kružlicová, who works under the Lukru design label and who presented a playful installation called EmotionaLab focusing on emotional design at Czech Design Week.

This year's 14-member jury, made up of experts from experienced designers, design theorists, educators and cultural media representatives, decided through an anonymous vote during the festival. Their result was also the award of a Special Jury Recognition, namely to designer Markéta Masnicová, who studies in the Product Design studio at FUD UJEP and who, in addition to her bachelor thesis, a collection of Monocat multifunctional glasses, also presented a concrete collection of aroma lamps and diffusers.

The festival prize, which is awarded by the organizers of the Czech Design Week design show, went to the duo NabilkovaXadus, under which designers Katarína Nábilková from the K.O.V. studio at the University of Arts and Design in Prague (UMPRUM) and Adam Pisca, who this year successfully completed his studies at the Studio of Textile Design also at UMPRUM. Vlastimil Šenkyř, a designer of glass, jewellery and ceramics, takes special recognition from this year's festival for his imaginative work in glassmaking, in which he constantly searches for and advances material possibilities through experimentation.

The Czech Design Award was created to support talented creators. In addition to an automatic invitation to exhibit at the next year of the festival, the award will also receive a physical prize in the form of a design vase designed by designer František Jungvirt, who is also a partner of the awards. Other prize partners are Klimchi and Realme, which have awarded designers prizes in the form of valuable technology.

The 10th anniversary of the Czech Design Week festival presented over 120 exhibitors from the ranks of designers, aspiring creators and students, as well as studies and brands. It was the work of young designers and students of art schools that prevailed at this year's edition.

The long-term goal of Czech Design Week is to support emerging designers as well as young students, who often give the festival the opportunity to exhibit for the first time at similar shows in the Czech Republic and abroad and provides advice on how to work with the concept of panel installations and their own presentations for greater success at larger design events abroad.