Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum and Smithsonian.com today announced the launch of the People’s Design Award contest, in conjunction with the 2014 National Design Awards. This year, the public is invited to vote from Sept. 10 through Oct. 6 for their favorite design from a pool of 20 works that emphasize how innovative design makes a difference in people’s everyday lives. The winning design will be announced live Oct. 9 at the National Design Awards Gala in New York City.
Design enthusiasts are invited to view the 20 nominees and vote once per day for their favorite product by logging onto www.smithsonian.com/peoplesdesign. Nominees include elegant and inventive consumer products (Drift Light, Lumio, Soma Water Bottle), medical devices (Cue, Spire, Stick-On Circuit Board), eco-friendly construction materials (Mushroom Building Blocks), emergency tools (SAM Junctional Tourniquet) and design solutions for human and environmental problems (Deka Arm, Ecozoom Stove).
“The People’s Design Award is a critical program that brings the public into the voting process of the National Design Awards,” said Caroline Baumann, director of the Cooper Hewitt. “From mushrooms that become a building material that is harder than concrete, to street lamps in Chicago that collect urban data that will be used to improve the environment, the nominees exemplify innovative design work happening in the United States right now, and they all deserve recognition for producing creative solutions that improve our daily lives.”
The People’s Design Award is part of Cooper Hewitt’s largest public education initiative, National Design Week, which this year takes place Oct. 4–12. The museum offers a series of public programs for students, teachers, design professionals and the general public to celebrate the important role that design plays in all aspects of daily life. In recognition of the importance of design education, organizations and schools nationwide also will sponsor events during National Design Week.
First launched in 2006, previous winners of the People’s Design Award include PackH20 Water Backpack, the Katrina Cottage, Toms Shoes, the Zōn Hearing Aid, the Trek Lime Bicycle, the Braille Alphabet Bracelet and Design Matters, a show about design and culture.
National Design Week is made possible in part by the sponsorship of Target.
National Design Awards are supported in part by Procter & Gamble and Design Within Reach. Additional support is provided by Facebook. National Design Award trophies are created by The Corning Museum of Glass. ndagallery.cooperhewitt.org is powered by Behance. Media sponsorship is provided by Smithsonian magazine.
National Design Awards and National Design Week professional supporters include AIGA | the professional association for design, American Institute of Architects New York Chapter, American Society of Interior Designers, American Society of Landscape Architects, Council of Fashion Designers of America, Industrial Designers Society of America, Interaction Design Association and International Interior Design Association.
ABOUT COOPER HEWITT, SMITHSONIAN DESIGN MUSEUM
Founded in 1897, Cooper Hewitt is the only museum in the nation devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. The museum educates, inspires and empowers people through design, presenting compelling educational programs, exhibitions and publications. International in scope and possessing one of the most diverse and comprehensive collections of design works in existence, the museum’s rich holdings range from Egypt’s Late Period/New Kingdom (1100 B.C.) to the present day and total more than 200,000 objects.
Cooper Hewitt is located at 2 East 91st Street at Fifth Avenue in New York City. The museum is currently closed, and will reopen to the public Dec. 12, following a three-year renovation project.
For further information, please call (212) 849-8400, visit Cooper Hewitt’s website at www.cooperhewitt.org and follow the museum on www.twitter.com/cooperhewitt and www.facebook.com/cooperhewitt.
