Dec 14 2007
Car Design News today announced the largest all-digital car design contest in the world, in association with SABIC Innovative Plastics and powered by Autodesk. Car Design News Contest 2008 will be judged by senior auto design directors from major automotive manufacturers, including Martin Smith, executive vice president of design at Ford Europe, Asia Pacific and Africa, and Shiro Nakamura, senior vice president and head of design at Nissan. This contest is unique as all designs will be created as virtual computer models. There are two contest categories – professional designer and student designer – with top prizes that include cash and a software license for Alias DesignStudio software.
“This is a contest created by car designers for car designers, and we expect the most skillful and creative professionals and students from around the planet to participate,” said Sam Livingstone, director, Car Design News. “The final digital gallery of finalists and winners will showcase some of the most exciting designs ever seen.”
The contest will begin on January 16 with the announcement of the design brief, full panel of judges and assessment criteria. The design brief will focus on the lives of three “Millenniumites” (people born in 2000) as they might be in 2028. The entry deadline is March 26; finalists will then be given an additional eight weeks to develop their original proposals.
Greg Adams, vice president for SABIC Innovative Plastics, Automotive, said, “SABIC Innovative Plastics is pleased to be part of this collaboration engaging the most talented automotive designers and student designers to compete. At SABIC Innovative Plastics we believe we enable designers to design differently. This contest is part of our commitment to helping designers spur exciting new breakthroughs for the vehicles of the future.”
“Autodesk is proud to partner with Car Design News, providing best-in-class tools that will help contest participants create digital prototypes of their innovative design submissions,” said Richard Jones, vice president of Alias Design Products at Autodesk. “Encouraging designers to feel comfortable with a digital workflow – communicating, collaborating, and visualizing their designs in a digital environment – is not only crucial to success in this contest but also critical for designers facing real-world challenges in the competitive automotive industry.”