A Special Time to Meet the Future of Design

Seoul Design Award 2024 Day

On October 25th, the grand finale of the Seoul Design Award, Seoul Design Award 2024 Day, was held at the DDP Design Hall! From conferences discussing sustainable design under various themes to the awards ceremony announcing this year's winners, it was a truly fulfilling day. Many citizens, both domestic and international, participated and brightened the event. We deliver the on-site story of Seoul Design Award 2024 Day, where heated discussions, excitement, congratulations, and cheers coexisted. 💌

First, Seoul Design Award 2024 Day began with presentations by the finalists selected for the Top 10. It was a time to hear detailed stories about the beginning, design process, and results of each project. The audience listened attentively to these presentations and then participated in the Korean Citizen’s Choice Award voting. You can find out who won in the list of winners below!

In his keynote speech, Ezio Manzini, founder and president of DESIS, said, "The core of design is to solve problems using the resources I have." He also mentioned that "design is a gift-like ability for humans." Following the keynote speech, a total of 3 sessions were held in Conference Part 2. During this time, domestic and foreign design experts joined us as moderators and panelists.

The first session, "Technology, the new future for us to get closer," examined cases of universal design that help the vulnerable through technology. Byungsu Kim, CEO of MissionIT, participated as the moderator, and Soowon Cho, CEO of TUAT Corp., Choon Soo Kim, Head of Digital Accessibility Team at SK Telecom, and Bona Lee, Head of Group of the Samsung Electronics DA Division CXI Group VP, participated as panelists.

The second session, "Design, changed my life," explored design cases of a changed society through public design. Jeongtae Kim, CEO of MYSC, joined us as the moderator. We also had time to talk with Ezio Manzini, founder and president of DESIS, Jungwoo Ji, Principal and Co-founder of EUS+ Architects, and Joong Yeol Park, CEO of Jerrybag.

The last session, "Design from nature, for nature, and with nature," was a time to talk about upcycling design cases for sustainable use. We discussed our choices for the Earth and the future with Jukka Savolainen, Director of Public Affairs at AD Museum, Jae Won Kwak, CEO of Trashbusters, Hyunjae Lee, designer at Lab.Crete, and Yi-hyun Choi, CEO of Continew.

🏆 Seoul Design Award 2024 Final Winners Revealed 

The last part of the event was the awards ceremony. Seoul Mayor, Oh Se-Hoon presented the awards in person, and representatives from the winners' embassies attended and delivered congratulatory messages along with bouquets. Seoul Design Award 2024 selected projects that brought positive changes to society through creative and sustainable design among hundreds of submissions. Out of 575 projects submitted from 65 countries, let's introduce the projects that won awards!

1. Main Prizes Winners

A total of 19 teams won the Main Prizes. Projects were selected based on the core values pursued by the award, such as effectively solving social and environmental problems, considering sustainability with renewable resources and energy efficiency, presenting creative and new approaches to design innovation, and inclusive design accessible to everyone. The projects selected also demonstrated positive changes in society and the environment, including those achieved through collaboration with local residents and those with outstanding aesthetic and functional completeness.

Canal Park 

⎮ A new park has blossomed from an abandoned ancient aqueduct

128 architecture & urban design

@Mexico

Honorable Mention

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⎮ A hopeful solution for the homeless: Providing them with an address

Chris Hildrey

@United Kingdom

2. Research Prize Winners

The Research Prize was awarded to projects that considered the social impact of research, contribution to sustainability, creative solutions, and feasibility of field application. The winners presented a vision for the future of sustainable design and suggested directions for a better future based on the insights and data obtained through their research. Let's introduce the projects selected for the Research Prize!

3. Issue of the Year Award (Digital) & Citizen's Choice Award Winners

The Seoul Design Award's Issue of the Year (Digital) is given to projects that create positive changes in society through digital innovation and open up new possibilities for users. The Korean Citizen's Choice Award, selected through on-site voting after the Top 10 winners' presentations in Conference Part 1, and the Global Citizen's Choice Award, selected through offline voting with enthusiastic participation from domestic and international citizens, were determined by gathering precious votes from citizens around the world.

Issue of the Year (Digital)

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⎮ A hopeful solution for the homeless: Providing them with an address

Chris Hildrey

@United Kingdom

Global Citizen's Choice

Classe rouge

⎮ Cost-effective, and quickly realizable educational structures using local materials

ACTA - Action through architecture

@Niger, Italy

*Details of the project can be viewed on the website later.

Which project touched your heart this year?

The 10 projects corresponding to the Main Prize (Grand Prize, Best of the Best, Honorable Mention) of 2024 can be continuously seen at the DDP Magazine Library as a permanent exhibition, so please visit us a lot. We sincerely thank everyone who submitted valuable projects for a sustainable future. The Seoul Design Award will continue to be a platform for designers to showcase sustainable design and will continue to encourage and support you to make meaningful changes in society and the environment.

We ask for your continued interest in the award, which will continue next year 😎

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