The Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC) announced that if you wish to make your mark in furniture design and showcase your creations to the world, here’s your chance. Registration is now open for the highly sought-after Furniture Design Award (FDA) 2010, organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC).
Similar to last year’s competition, entries are not confined to any given theme, allowing participants the freedom to fully explore and express their creativity.
Mr Andrew Pang, Chairman of the FDA 2010 Organising Committee, said, “At FDA 2009, we saw the excellent results of giving all participants, including the students and young designers, free play in their design creations. We received a record number of local and international submissions that comprised a very wide range of furniture with excitingly varied styles. Thus, for FDA 2010, we will continue to offer FDA participants the breadth of scope to create furniture pieces that best reflect their design capabilities and realise their full potential. We hope this will encourage an even more vibrant design environment in Singapore and nurture a multi-cultural design talent pool that also possesses a strong understanding of global design trends and requirements.”
FDA 2010 consists of three categories – Open, Young Designers and Students. For the first time, participation in the Young Designers category will be extended worldwide. In the past years, this category was only open to the Asia Pacific region.
Said Mr Simon Ong, Chairman of the Design Development Committee for SFIC: “We are proud that the annual FDA has earned a reputation as a leading platform for unveiling trendsetting furniture pieces and design talents in Asia. Backed by the wonderful feedback from the international furniture design community, we believe it is the right time for us to extend the depth of the competition by expanding the Young Designer category beyond the region. By opening up the playing field, we want to push local and international young talents to be even more innovative in light of greater competition and bring their designs to the next level. We hope to continue identifying designers of tomorrow and create avenues for them to jump start their career as we consolidate Singapore’s position as a furniture design hub.”
The Open category targets companies, seeking participants from all over the world with entries that have already been manufactured and launched commercially; the Young Designers category caters to local and international participants, aged 35 years and below as of 9 March 2010; and the Students category is open to all full-time students from educational institutions in the ASEAN countries (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, The Philippines and Vietnam).
Since the inception of the Awards in 1993, FDA has been growing in participation and prestige. Up from 530 entries in 2008, the recently concluded FDA 2009 received an overwhelming total of 637 submissions from Singapore and 18 countries globally, namely Australia, Belgium, China, France, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United States and Vietnam.
To help nurture budding design talents, SFIC also provides mentoring sessions for all the finalists in the Students category. Industry players will be invited to act as mentors to these finalists and guide them through the production of their prototypes for the final judging. These sessions expose the students to the industrial decision-making process and educate them on the practical considerations involved in bringing their designs to life.
Entries for FDA 2010 will be judged by a panel of prominent industry personalities and renowned international designers. The judging criteria include creativity, marketability and functionality, including aspects of environmental-friendliness and ergonomics.
The closing date for the Students and Young Designers categories is 1 September 2009 and the Open category is 21 December 2009, before 5pm Singapore time.
Entries in the Students and Young Designers categories will vie for the FDA Merits, FDA Honourable Mentions and FDA Grand Awards. An additional Best Use of Material Award will also be presented to a participant from across the three categories. Entries in the Open category will compete for the FDA Honourable Mentions and FDA Grand Award. Winners for FDA 2010 will stand to receive a certificate and trophy and up to S$6,000 in cash.
In addition, the FDA Grand Award winners for the Students and Young Designers categories will also be offered a 12 square-metre exhibition space at PLATFORM 2011, held in conjunction with the annual International Furniture Fair Singapore / ASEAN Furniture Show (IFFS/AFS). With PLATFORM established as the place to see and be seen, this prized space will provide the winners with an avenue to launch their new prototypes to an international audience. Designed to help kick-start their careers after the win, the winners are encouraged to use this opportunity to network with leading manufacturers and buyers and build useful contacts that will serve them well in their foray into the furniture market.
FDA 2010 is supported by DesignSingapore Council, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, SPRING Singapore, American Hardwood Export Council, Designers Association Singapore, Interior Design Confederation (Singapore), Singapore Institute of Architects and IFFS Pte Ltd.
For more information on FDA 2010, visit www.singaporefurniture.com.
About Singapore Furniture Industries Council
SFIC was established in 1981 as the official representative body of Singapore's furniture industry. It currently represents 95 per cent of established furniture manufacturers in Singapore, of whom 65 per cent have subsidiary manufacturing plants in the region including China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Its primary role is to promote the interests of its members and the Singapore furniture industry. Many of its initiatives aim to facilitate members' exposure to the world market, develop local talent and encourage entrepreneurship. SFIC organises the annual Furniture Design Award and PLATFORM to spur trendsetting furniture designs from Asia.
SFIC is the parent company of International Furniture Fair Singapore Pte Ltd, the organiser of the annual International Furniture Fair Singapore and ASEAN Furniture Show. SFIC also manages the International Furniture Centre, a year-round platform for international buyers to source and trade for a wide range of quality, well-designed furniture from Singapore and the region.
To ensure the industry’s growth and viability, SFIC continues to forge close partnerships with the government and trade-related agencies to harness technology, knowledge and information for effective strategic planning.