Established in 1985, Design Innovation In Plastics (DIP) is now the longest running student plastics design award in Europe. Open to undergraduates in the UK and Ireland, students submit their entries digitally and finalists are invited to present their concepts to a panel of judges with presentation slides and models. All finalists win a cash prize, a short placement with a UK design company, and connections to esteemed members of the community.
Design students entering this year’s Design Innovation in Plastics competition have addressed the brief with “out of the box thinking and innovative solutions”, according to head judge, Richard Brown, following the announcement of the finalists.
Mr Brown said they had worked hard to tackle the brief which asked them to design a product for the kitchen or the bathroom, made primarily from plastics and which was an original product or a significant improvement on an existing product. It could meet the needs of the young or the elderly or those with disabilities - an area where there are already many products on the market.
“This made it a challenging task and the finalists have done well to raise the awareness of the judges in some of the areas they have addressed,” he said. “Our finalists have all been provided with feedback and guidance to help them refine their products before they present them at the final judging stage in London on May 26.”
As well as five finalists, another student has been chosen to receive a new award. This year it was decided to introduce an additional category for an entry which did not quite make the final cut, but which still recognises the talent which has gone into creating an innovative product or design. The category has been named ‘The Robin Jones Award’ in memory of a former DIP committee member who sadly passed away last year.
All the finalists, along with the recipient of the Robin Jones Award, have been invited to attend a training course provided by a new DIP industry sponsor, Sumitomo (SHI) Demag, which will give them the opportunity to take on board new ideas as they finesse their products.
The six finalists are:
- Frederick Blake – Bournemouth University – ‘Bubble Buddy’
- Kyle Farquhar – Edinburgh Napier University – “PlateMate’
- James Forrest-Smith – Northumbria University – ‘Kitchen Helper’
- Christopher Kenny – TU Dublin – ‘Flossie’
- Scott Rutherford – Edinburgh Napier University – ‘Rotary Bottle Opener’
- Teresa Zheng – Loughborough University – ‘Pocket Operation Panel’
Design Innovation in Plastics (DIP) is the longest running plastics competition of its kind in Europe, having been established in 1985. It is supported by the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining, the Worshipful Company of Horners, and sponsored by leading design and plastics organisations, including headline industry sponsor, Covestro. Visit the DIP website for further information.
