13 June 2013

£3000 win for design student

A third-year student from the University of Dundee has won £3000 in the 2012/13 Royal Society of the Arts (RSA) Student Design Awards.

Shonagh Gardiner, an Interior Environmental Design student, won the Royal Bank of Scotland Award for designing a space where the community and business partners can work together and alongside each other with the goal of fostering real change in the architectural industry.

Worth over £30,000 in prize monies and work placements, the RSA Student Design Awards provide financial and practical assistance to student designers starting out in their careers.

Commenting on this year's winners, RSA'S Co-director of Design Nat Hunter said, "We were extremely impressed by the quality of entries this year. The winning students demonstrated exceptional insight and ingenuity in their responses to the complex social challenges in the briefs.

"Many of this year's winners have told us that entering the RSA Student Design Awards has transformed their aspirations, and they are now looking to develop a career that uses their new skills to benefit society."

The RSA Student Design Awards scheme is a significant competition for young designers looking to apply their skills to enduring social issues and real-world problems.

The eight briefs this year covered social challenges ranging from tackling water pollution and waste reduction to improving working environments and commuting. This year's competition saw an increase in international entries, with students shortlisted from Australia, Germany and Hong Kong and three international winners.

The winning entries each received a year's RSA Fellowship, which provides the students with access to the RSA's Catalyst Fund and Skills Bank to further develop their projects

Past winners include Jonathan Ive, Senior Vice-President of Industrial Design at Apple; fashion designer Betty Jackson; Andy Clark, who designed the Heathrow Express train; and Hot Springs radiator designer and founder of Priestmangoode, Paul Priestman.

The 2012/13 winners will join past winners, sponsors and jury members to celebrate at a reception at the RSA in central London on 20th June. Kevin Owens, Design Principal for the London 2012 Olympics, will give a keynote speech, followed by a presentation of the awards.

For more information, please contact Sevra Davis, Manager of the RSA Student Design Awards or Rebecca Ford, Assistant Manager of the RSA Student Design Awards, on 020 7451 6845 or sevra.davis@rsa.org.uk or rebecca.ford@rsa.org.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
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