Bangkok--21 Oct--Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Nippon Paint Decorative Coatings (Thailand) Co., Ltd. today announced its 7th annual “Nippon Paint Young Designer Awards.” The design competition shines a spotlight on interior design and architecture students who want their work showcased in both the local and international arena. In 2014, the competition will be held across seven countries, including Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, China and Thailand, with the cooperation of leading design institutes, as well as architecture and interior design associations from both government and private sectors across Asia.
This year, the Nippon Paint Young Designer Awards are taking innovative ideas further by giving young interior designers and architects the opportunity to RE:Think and RE:Create Our Community, Our Home. The RE:Think. and RE:Create theme aims to encourage participants to think about sustainable design and environmental architecture as representatives of the future generation of design professionals.
Mr. Chalermpong Mahawanitchawong, General Manager of Nippon Paint Decorative Coating (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said, “As Nippon Paint is the leading paint manufacturer in Thailand, we strive to improve standards within the design industry and believe that students are critical to advancing the industry. We acknowledge the abundance of talent in this creative industry and are here to provide an avenue for talent to design responsibly. We are committed to cultivating and strengthening the creative young minds in the fields of interior design andarchitecture. We hope that the Nippon Paint Young Designer Awards will inspire our local interior design and architectural students, so that their work will gain recognition in the local and international arena.”
We are also grateful to have the cooperation of a number of leading design institutions which have provided judges for the competition, including: The Association of Siamese Architects, Thailand Interior Designers’ Association, Bangkok’s Department of City Planning, and LEED AP. These judges will also be mentors to the winners who will attend the culmination of the Awards in Japan in early 2015,” added Chalermpong.
Ms. Siritip Harntaweewongsa, Director of Sustainable Design Department and Co-Founder of Green Dwell Co., Ltd. in Thailand, one of the judges for the Nippon Paint Young Designer Awards 2014, said, “Design education in Thailand is becoming more accessible because of the increase of online learning options. Students can now access online learning resources and are not limited to the library. However, schools and universities should support students with the curriculum necessary to apply their learnings into real-world skills. I strongly believe that participating in design competitions is a highly effective way for students to learn and advance their knowledge. The Nippon Paint Young Designer Awards inspires students to be more innovative and motivates them to a higher degree of professionalism, while helping them recognize their responsibility to society and the environment.”
Mr. Surachet Srisuchart, representative from Bangkok’s Department of City Planning and one of the Award judges said, “The Nippon Paint Young Designer Awards has provided opportunities for students to show their potential for many years and we expect to see strong cooperation from Thai designers and institutes in the industry. We look forward to seeing more Thai students join the competition and believe that the competition will motivate Thai students to think about the next generation of design. The Awards will push them to gain new experiences and also provides a chance to showcase their masterpiece among other countries in Asia, which will only further Thailand’s reputation in the fields of design and architecture.”
Interested students are invited to participate by submitting their work from today until 24 October 2014. Prize values total more than 500,000 Baht and winners will have the opportunity to represent Thailand at a showcase in Japan. For more information and the application, please contact the call centre at 02-462-5299 ext. 364-368 or visit the Facebook Fan page: www.facebook.com/YoungDesignerThailand.