The European Product Design Award (ePDA)—a cutting-edge global event dedicated to elevating and promoting the art of Product Design—has just announced the winners of its 2023 edition.
The 2023 edition of the ePDA reintroduced the Design for Humanity and the Design Innovation of the Year awards, in addition to the Emerging Product Design of the Year and the Product Design of the Year. See below how innovative and inspiring product design can be in 2023.
#1 "Accessible Pushchair" By Designability, Wolfson Centre, Department D1, Royal United Hospital
Design for Humanity
"Designability has designed the world's first accessible pushchair suitable for manual wheelchair users, developed with mass manufacture in mind. The pushchair can be used by a disabled parent or carer, or those who are non-disabled - one product for everyone.
Our design replaces the traditional rear wheels/footbrake assembly, turning any conventional pushchair into an accessible pushchair.
Designability has been aware of the need for this product for many years. Our most requested product, we estimate that there are around 20,000 disabled parents in the UK alone who could benefit."
82points
The European Product Design Award™ gives credit to talented designers from around the world who work hard to make our daily lives better with their clever and useful creations. It helps product design to become more popular worldwide and gives global recognition to outstanding designers in the field.
#2 "Wunderhaus" By Wunderhaus Ltd
Top Design Winner in ECO DESIGN/Green: Residential Sustainable Design
"Wunderhaus is not only architecturally outstanding, but the first product in the form of a house, capable of being carbon-negative and energy-positive. Our innovative solar roof has the capacity to generate an impressive average of almost 28,000 kWH per year, which is equivalent to the C02 emissions savings of 2,790 trees annually!
Over the 25-year lifespan of the PV roof, it has the potential to generate electricity to the tune of up to £163,000 based on current tariff rates. Sustainability lies at the core of our ethos, and we meticulously select suppliers who align with our values."
43points
#3 "Ubigrid™ Dtm+ (Distribution Transformer Monitor + Oil Temperature And Pressure)" By Ubicquia
Winner in INDUSTRIAL/Energy: Other Designs
"Natural disasters can strike at any time with increasingly devastating results. With only so much preparation possible, how do we reduce the amount of time before normalcy is restored? The UbiGrid™ DTM+ empowers utilities to actively monitor the grid in real-time with instant notifications on transformer load, power state, and condition; these provide crews with information critical to efficiently dispatch assets where needed, expediting recovery for residents. With our critical analytics and predictive grid health, utilities can spot anomalies earlier, recover quicker, and keep our lights on."
25points
The jurors were especially impressed by the 2023 ePDA award-winning entrants' high degree of innovation this year. From electric cars to flexible electronic printers, these successful ideas address pressing issues while being timely, environmentally friendly, and most importantly, human-centered.
#4 "Voltera Nova Flexible Electronics Printer" By Hofer Studio
Innovation of the Year
"NOVA is the world’s first printer designed for creating soft, stretchable, and conformable electronics. The fancy term for NOVA’s technology is direct-write, extrusion printing, which means you can print material exactly where you want it, and nowhere else. Its applications are limitless.
Unlock new opportunities and accelerate research and development with high-resolution printing using a range of functional materials and screen-printable inks.
Vacuum table and custom fixturing elements allow you to directly print onto soft, flexible, 3D printed and unevenly shaped materials."
16points
#5 "Reli Light Cam Battery D1" By Reli Technologies Llc
Top Design Winner in CONSUMER ELECTRONICS/Security Systems: Alarm and Home Security
"Streamlining outdoor security, the Reli Light Cam Battery D1 offers dual functionality as a spotlight camera and wildlife observer, safeguarding homes while capturing nature's beauty. Boasting a 1080p HD resolution, 155° wide-angle view and full color night vision, it ensures comprehensive indoor and outdoor coverage. Easy installation and live video/audio access let users monitor their homes from anywhere. The 7800mAh battery provides 5 months of eco-friendly power, enabling versatile placement for recording nature's wonders, such as small animals."
14points
ePDA invites experienced and new designers to share their creative and groundbreaking products for a chance to be named Product Designer of the Year.
Winners get a special trophy, a copy of the ePDA Annual Book of Product Designs, and their design will be featured in a newsletter sent to design professionals and clients around the globe. It'll also be on ePDA's website for a whole year, with special recognition from their judges.
#6 "Hooked" By Milan Bhullar
Emerging Design of the Year
"Hooked is a bent lamination wooden side table that can be hung on a wall due to its hook design allowing the floor space to be cleared of furniture when needed.The table is a behavioral response of tidying up our personal spaces and hanging up things on the wall with the ease of being carried like a bag.The legs of the table emulate a seamless ribbon made of 5 layers of 8ft long strips of maple wood bent and laminated.The legs cross over each other in an uninterrupted sinuous loop.The sculptural form of the table accentuates the satin softness and resilient nature of wood as a natural material."
14points
#7 "Light Composition Vargov® Design - Lc0339" By Vargov® Design
Winner in HOME (Household Products)/Home Lighting: Hanging/Pendant Lighting
"Vargov® Design is a team of specialists who are designing and producing unique author's lighting and decor. Our production capacities are in China. We deliver our products around the world, work with designers, architects and trade organizations, providing discounts and all information support for the project. We are constantly looking for new materials and forms, innovative production technologies. When ordering with us - you get unique, copyright products from Vargov® Design."
13points
The European Product Design Awards judge entries based on criteria like innovation, aesthetics, functionality, ergonomics, durability, impact, utility, ecological compatibility, and reality of production. Each juror, with their unique expertise, ensures a fair evaluation. They assess if the product brings something new, looks good, works well, is user-friendly, durable, impactful, useful, eco-friendly, economically viable, and emotionally satisfying.
#8 "Bonbon" By Saloni Furniture
Winner in HOME (Household Products)/Home Furniture: Living room
"The Bon Bon sofa is a piece of modular furniture created to maximize functionality and adaptability in a compact space. It is a sofa that can be converted into a bed, making it the ideal choice for various living rooms. The Bon Bon sofa features a strong plywood structure for durability and stability, but thanks to its modular design, it can be set up in a variety of ways to suit the demands of the user."
12points
#9 "Magical Mushroom Necklace" By Shiri Hershkovitz Bartur
Winner in PERSONAL/Luxury Jewelry: Other
"Our Mugical Mushroom Necklace is a 3D masterpiece that radiates in the dark. Crafted with meticulous detail, it pays tribute to the unsung heroes of our ecosystem—the mushrooms. These fungi silently contribute to our planet's health, from mycorrhizal networks supporting ecosystems to mycoremediation detoxifying our environment. Our necklace symbolizes our admiration for their vital role in saving our planet. It's more than jewelry; it's a luminescent tribute to nature's silent saviors."
9points
#10 "Take A Rest" By Vestel Elektronik San. Ve Tic. A.s
Winner in HOME (Household Products)/Entertainment room: Hobby and Leisure
"Introducing 'Take a Rest': a 32-inch touchscreen redefining home workspaces. With remote work on the rise, homes turn into offices. This innovation offers a flexible solution, fitting any home desk. Ergonomic design with a foot bar ensures comfort. Personalize your workspace using the magnetic back panel. A front curtain lets you step away. After work, simply wheel it away. 'Take a Rest' blends style and function, adorned in calming green hues for an inspiring ambiance."
8points
#11 "Man-Made Crayon" By Miki Kawamura
Winner in CONCEPTUAL (Design only or Prototype)/Eco Design Products
"Few people can imagine how recycled plastic will end up. Therefore, we wanted to create an object that would allow people to get a sense of how plastic ends up in their own hands. The crayons using colored plastic used for plastic bottles' cap. Since the caps are available in all three primary colors, we believe that adding a smaller amount of pigment than in the normal production process will allow us to increase color variations with less environmental impact. The crayon was molded from the bottom of a plastic bottle: It is an form created by men."
8points
#12 "Kinetic 5200" By Kinetic Facades Ltd
Winner in INDUSTRIAL/Building: Windows, Doors
"Kinetic Facades is a design studio specializing in the development of value-added facades systems for the building industry. The design studio services provide end-to-end solutions to large fabrication companies and System houses looking to outsource their R&D departments to a professional design company.
Kinetic 5200 is an electric lift and slide slim system designed for minimalistic buildings with large openings and various typologies. The visible size of the middle post has been reduced to 16/20mm while keeping a high level of weather performance."
5points
#13 "Re-Verre" By Gallotti&radice
Top Design Winner in ECO DESIGN/Sustainable: Home Products
"The Re-verre coffee table collection originates from Gallotti&Radice’s
ambition to experiment contemporary ways of reusing glass, a material that
belongs to the company’s DNA and has been re-interpreted through
innovative finishes. Re-verre literally means ‘glass once again’ and aims at providing the material with a new life, by giving it a new interpretation in terms of identity as well as function."
ambition to experiment contemporary ways of reusing glass, a material that
belongs to the company’s DNA and has been re-interpreted through
innovative finishes. Re-verre literally means ‘glass once again’ and aims at providing the material with a new life, by giving it a new interpretation in terms of identity as well as function."
5points
#14 "Érimón Whiskey Glass" By The Craft Irish Whiskey Co
Winner in BEVERAGE AND FOOD/Catering Supplies: Glassware
"Our glassware was conceived to elevate the nosing and whiskey-tasting experience. Eighteen months of scientific research were poured into the design, resulting in whiskey glasses that lessen the effect of the ethanol, so the drinker can appreciate the full complexity of flavour and layers of taste generally masked by the vapour. Soda-lime glass was chosen over crystal or borosilicate due to its amorphous molecular structure, leaving less vapour for the nose. The curved design encourages this dissipation of the vapour, and the Vortex Point ensures the ethanol stays at the base of the glass."
5points
#15 "Automobili Pininfarina Pura Vision" By Automobili Pininfarina
Product Design of the Year
"Automobili Pininfarina's PURA Vision represents a groundbreaking era in conceptual electric Luxury Utility Vehicle (e-LUV). Unveiled during Monterey Car Week, this concept vehicle showcases the company's signature PURA design philosophy, which effortlessly transforms the DNA of iconic models from Pininfarina past to define the future. Developed in-house, PURA Vision embodies a new era of connected electric luxury. Timeless design has been a hallmark of Pininfarina designs for 94 years and PURA Vision delivers trademark beauty through a mixture of classic proportions and exquisite detailing."
4points
#16 "From Baby Potty To Flowerpot - The Liimmi Potty" By Liimmi Gmbh
Top Design Winner in FAMILIES & KIDS/Bath & Health: Diapering & Accessories
"Why should baby accessories be used for only a short time? This question sparked a new design approach to lengthen product life and reduce waste, bringing Liimmi to life. Liimmi products blend eco-friendliness and multifunctionality with the timeless beauty of modern Scandinavian design. Long-lasting utility and smooth transitions in use offer ongoing value for families. From the outset, a second function is integrated into Liimmi designs as a built-in repurposing option. The first product, the baby potty, doubles as a chic flowerpot, showcasing this unique approach: style for sustainability."
0points
#17 "Vase Juicer" By Foshan Shengfang Hardware Co., Ltd
Winner in HOME (Household Products)/Kitchen: Blenders & Juicers
"The vase juicer can be a decoration when not in use, which breaks through the traditional form of juicers. It is no longer passively stacked on cabinet, but being a product that can be integrated into home atmosphere.The shape of the vase is formed by the longitudinal storage of the juice squeezing cup, grinding cup, cover and motor, for saving the storage space, and being a practical artwork decoration. The juice cup can also be used as a carry on cup to meet multiple scenarios.Moreover, the modeling language provides the availability of becoming a vase at the end of the product's lifespan."
-1point
#18 "Latitude | Ror Furniture Collection" By Latitude
Winner in HOME (Household Products)/Home Furniture: Other Products
"'The eye has to travel' – said Diana Vreeland. ROR collection follows just that and showcases the delight of dynamic form through a range of products, such as dining tables, chairs, bar stools. The main motif of converging elements was stimulated by the logo of the Moscow Olympics in 1980.
Modern megapolis with its clash of different architecture and ideas informed the personality of the collection. Thus each piece has its own character and flavor but they are united by the same idea of convergence. Designed by Abai Zhumagulov, the graduate of Central Saint Martins."
-7points
#19 "Infinix Zero30 5g" By Infinix Mobile Limited
Winner in CONSUMER ELECTRONICS/Phones: Mobile
"ZERO30 5G is a fashion-forward imaging smartphone that combines stylish design with high-definition Vlog video recording capabilities which empowers young individuals to express themselves.
The design inspiration for the ZERO30 5G is drawn from the Italian jewelry craftsmanship, infusing the smartphone with the exquisite artistry of the jewelry world. In the case of the Rome Green, its body features a faux leather texture as its foundation, adorned with intricate rivet designs. These rivets resemble the gemstones adorning fine jewelry, adding an essence of luxury and fashion to the smartphone."
-9points
#20 "Flonq Max Smart" By Flonq
Winner in CONSUMER ELECTRONICS/Other Consumer Electronics Designs
"Flonq MAX Smart stands as the most powerful disposable e-cigarette within the Flonq ecosystem. Inspired by the principles of aerodynamic engineering and sleek, streamlined design, this device showcases radiating elegance and sophistication. Its lightweight monolithic body, and a glossy tactile surface complemented by a vibrant color accent, make it a pleasure to hold and behold. Enhanced Flonq Max Smart, equipped with an LCD display delivering real-time updates on power and liquid levels.
The Flonq MAX Smart boasts an exquisite design that seamlessly combines aesthetics with functionality."
-36points