Renowned designers and architects to judge and mentor aspiring global talent at Lexus Design Award 2018

The judges and mentors for the Lexus Design Award 2018 have been recently announced. Now in its sixth year, this prestigious international competition seeks to discover and nurture a new generation of talent. The event attracts thousands of aspiring creatives from around the world and inspires them to challenge common paradigms with unconventional design ideas to make our world better. Twelve winning finalists selected by an elite creative design panel of judges will have their concepts showcased at Lexus Design Event in Milan, 2018. An experience of a lifetime awaits four of these finalists, who will be mentored by some of the world’s top designers and architects. They will also receive funding (up to 3 million JPY or approximately $25,000) to bring their visions to life.

Entries to the Lexus Design Award 2018 competition are accepted from July 24 through October 08. The 12 finalists will be announced in January 2018, and the Grand Prix winner will be announced during Milan Design Week — April 16th, 2018.

“Breaking conventions and going beyond the boundaries of imagination are at the heart of Lexus’ approach to design, and the Lexus Design Award offers us an opportunity to take this approach forward and continue our passion for creating amazing experiences that ignite the emotions,” said Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief Representative, Middle East and North Africa Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation. “Lexus believes in the power of design to create a better future for all, and by bringing together a panel of world-renowned designers who will guide the selected candidates to express their full potential through the development of working prototypes of their innovative ideas, we continue our commitment toward creating opportunities for emerging design talent to flourish. Lexus Design Award has always enjoyed the strong backing of our customers and the global design community, whom we would like to thank, and we look forward to their continued support as we welcome the program’s sixth edition.”

Introducing new judges for 2018

Lexus is excited to announce a new judge for the 2018 competition, Shigeru Ban. Renowned for his ingenious use of lightweight, unconventional and environmentally responsible materials — in particular, paper and bamboo — Shigeru is changing ideas about architecture.

Returning to help judge the 2018 competition are a number of leading innovators from around the globe. Paola Antonelli is Curator of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Birgit Lohmann is Chief Editor of designboom and has worked as a designer and product developer for a number of Italian architects and master designers. Alice Rawsthorn writes about design in the International New York Times and frieze. Yoshihiro Sawa, President of Lexus International, started his own career in the automotive industry working on production and design.

Top global creatives will mentor winning finalists

The four prototype finalists will enjoy a hands-on experience working with pioneers and well-known creators in a number of exciting fields. One of the most renowned Japanese architects today, Sou Fujimoto, creates futuristic structures incorporating natural and architectural elements. The Italian design duo, Andrea Trimarchi, and Simone Farresin make up Amsterdam-based Studio Formafantasma. Their work has been presented and published internationally at museums such as New York's MoMA and London’s Victoria and Albert, and they teach design in various universities and institutions in Europe. Contemporary lighting designer Lindsey Adelman skyrocketed to fame with her branching chandelier designs, and now leads a team of designers, glass artists and craftspeople in her studios in New York and Los Angeles. New York-based designer and art director Jessica Walsh has won awards from most major design competitions, and she was awarded Forbes Magazine’s ‘30 under 30 top creatives designing the future’.