Rotterdam Design Prize: public versus jury

Awards / Events

There are only three more days to vote for the Premsela Public prize of the Rotterdam Design prize. This Sunday the winners will be announced.

By Editor Design.nl / 09-02-2012

The nominees for this years Rotterdam Design Prize vary wildly. From a popular chain of breadshops to more esoteric projects like the Microscopic Opera where worms dance. The professional jury will announce the winner of the prize this Sunday, and so will the public - it's always interesting to see the difference.

Last year Joost Grootens won top honours for his excellent work with book design, while the public prize went to the graphic design collective Gorilla for their visual column for de Volkskrant, a clever, contemporary reinvention of the political cartoon.

The organization chose to revamp the set-up of the prize this year: five scouts selected three nominees each, resulting in a collection of nominees that couldn't have been more diverse.

The selection confronts us with design in our daily life. Every choice we make on a daily basis is, in a way, a design choice. And it is not just about the shape of our own surroundings, but how such choices in turn inform the production process.

Premsela, the Netherlands Institute for Design and Fashion, has made it "truly democratic," as design.nl previoulsy reported. It initiated the Premsela Public Prize for this edition of the prestigious Rotterdam Prize. Everyone can vote online.Vote here: "This approach also offers an excellent opportunity to broaden the discussion of design beyond the profession itself," states Premsela. "The group of finalists represent a good overview of what Dutch design is about today and where it’s headed. The competition is not about specific disciplines but attitudes."

This coming Sunday we will see how the public and the professional jury differ in their views. Prior to the award ceremony there will be a jury debate, moderated by Sarah Meuleman. The jury this year consists of Susan Szenasy, editor-in-chief of Metropolis Magazine (NY); Sebastian Wrong, designer and creative director of design label Established & Sons; and Lars Müller, graphic designer and owner of Lars Müller Publishers.

The event starts at 1.30 pm in Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Top picture: the winner of last edition, Joost Grootens, receives the award from then jury chairwoman Alice Rawsthorn in December 2009.