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The next generation of designers in China is again being invited to enter the CDN competition dedicated to identifying the most promising talent among them. The third annual Car Design Awards China is now open, and entries are invited from students of any design discipline who are studying full time at a college in China.
They will work to briefs set by the design chiefs of OEMs including Daimler, GM, JAC, Nissan and Volkswagen. Entries will be judged by a panel of distinguished senior designers whose background is both inside and outside China.
There are ten categories for the Awards this year, including exterior, interior, concept and production. Aspects like eco and luxury are also covered. If previous years are any indication, some of the most inspirational entries will be seen in the category that rewards the best design in harmony with China’s heritage.
Prizes for the winners will again be fully funded placements at an international design school, with previous winners studying at CCS in the US, Northumbria University in the UK and Strate College in France. There, students mixed with classmates from all parts of the world and were exposed to Western design teaching.
Former winners have relished the contrast. “Students in the class seem to have better attention to detail (than in China),” said Geng Li, a winner in 2010 who was studying at the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art when he won his Award. “They spent hours on researching and feasibility studies. In China we tended to rush through the ideas and sketches.”
CDN has created a league table of China’s design schools based on the success of their students in the past two competitions (see the Awards website). Tsinghau University, which had the best results in 2011, is narrowly ahead of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Art on the overall ranking, with Jilin University in third place. The table is intended to track the development of design teaching expertise at China’s schools, as measured by the work of their students.
As well as support from OEMs and international design schools, the 2012 Car Design News China Awards are sponsored by tier 1 suppliers Faurecia, Johnson Controls and Yanfeng Visteon, and by fabric maker Alcantara, independent Beijing-based studio CH-Auto and leather supplier Eagle Ottowa.
The closing date for submissions is 27 January 2012, by which time all entries must have been uploaded to the competition website.
Related Links:
Car Design Awards China website (English version)
Car Design Awards China website (Chinese version)