Four student winners named in SURTEX designext competition

04 Apr '12

3 min read

Representing the future of surface design, four winners in the designext international student competition organized annually by SURTEX, the leading trade show for the art and design market, have been selected and will participate in the Show being held May 20-22 in New York City.

According to Penny Sikalis, Vice President of GLM and Manager of the SURTEX show, "These highly talented students have met and exceeded the judges' expectations at a very early stage in their professional development. As in past years, participation in the designext contest will help them launch a promising design career through the attention they will garner at the show in May."

The four winners are students enrolled in specialized design programs at colleges across the US and the UK.

They are: Tai Lin Hsieh of San Francisco, CA, a senior in Textile Design at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, CA; Suzanne Lefebvre of Fairport, NY, a senior in the Graphic & Interior Design Department at Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY; Poppy Maxfield of Lincolnshire, England, a third-year student in Printed Textiles and Surface Patterns at Leeds College of Art in Yorkshire, England; and Kirby Smith of Coatesville, PA, a senior in the Fibers Department at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA.

The competition theme was Outdoor Celebration in the Year 2020. Students were challenged to create an overall concept and a minimum of six surface designs that projected future trends. More than 50 submissions from 16 colleges and universities worldwide were received and reviewed by a panel of esteemed judges. Many entries focused on sustainability and the natural environment. The four winners were selected for their creativity and development of surface design, as well as the potential commercial appeal of their designs.

Each of the four students enjoys a trip to New York City, an in-depth critique of their portfolio by the judges, and exposure to the industry through networking activities as well as booth presentation. Judges will select one grand prize winner who will be awarded a $1000 cash award and a golden opportunity to accelerate a professional design career.

The panel of judges, each a highly regarded design professional, represents diverse sectors within the design and licensing industry. The four judges are: Nancy Fire, Design Director, HGTV Home Brand and Founder, Design Works International; Ragna Frodadottir, Creative Director, Edelkoort, Inc.; Lynne Hopkins, Vice President of Woven Design, P/Kaufmann; and Robert Warden, Design/Creative Director, Paperchase.

The designext competition, one of the highlights of SURTEX, a three-day B-to-B trade show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, is now in its 26th year. Some 300 exhibitors and 6,000 attendees from around the world are expected to participate in the tradeshow considered THE SOURCE for original surface design. It is theonly trade show in North America devoted to the sale and licensing of original art and design for a variety of product categories, from consumer goods, packaging, stationery, textiles and giftware to housewares, wall coverings and floor coverings for the home furnishings and contract markets.

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