32 Taiwanese student designers among the “Best 100” award winners in the 2011 iF Concept Award

Thirty-two entrants from Taiwan were among the “Best 100” winners in the major design contest of the 2011 iF Concept Award, the world's largest and most important student design award. Two entrants from Taiwan received the highest prize of 5,000 euros, one received 3,000 euros, and two others received 1,000 euros.

Of the nearly 11,000 applications submitted to the 2011 iF Concept Award, 8,007 competed for the top prize, which is an 86% increase in the number of entries from last year. The iF Concept Award is now one of the world's largest and most significant awards for young talent in the field of design. In 2010, the total number of entrants was 4,283.

Applicants from 52 different countries (compared to 43 countries in 2010) included students as well as young graduates from the fields of design, architecture, marketing, and engineering. Each entry design was evaluated free of charge by international experts.

Having to select from the total of 8,007 entrants, a jury of international designers, professors, and lecturers made a shortlist of the most promising entries and then nominated 300 finalists. In the second round of the selection process, another jury of experts chose the 100 award winners who became the recipients of the 30,000 euros in prize money.

The announcement of the prize money winners was made on May 21 during the 2011 YODEX (the 30th International Young Designers Exhibition) awards ceremony in Taipei. YODEX is the largest trade show for young design talent in Asia where all of the top entries are on display in one place, and it attracts over 95,000 visitors from Taiwan and abroad each year.

Special Prize Awarded
For the first time this year, a special prize, "Hansgrohe Preis 2011: Efficient Water Design, Minimize Consumption, Maximize Emotion," was awarded. The theme of each entry was sustainable use of water as a resource. Of the 200 entries submitted, eighteen reached the final round while four won the special prize and shared the prize money of 4,000 euros. No entrant from Taiwan won this special prize.

Also for the first time this year, iF Design Talents GmbH (Hanover/Germany) organized the iF Concept Award.

The CENS editorial team has selected some of the prize money winners of the 2011 iF Concept Award from Taiwan, and below is what we have written about them.

"Best 100" Entries From Taiwan

A dressmaker or tailor can only be as good as the measurements he or she takes, and it's very easy to make mistakes, especially when you must add different measurements together. The “pen ruler” can solve this problem: instead of using a measuring tape, you simply “draw” the person whose measurements you need with this pen. You can even draw around them. The pen itself takes the individual measurements and adds all of the necessary data together to give you the information you need more quickly and with much greater accuracy. Despite the innovative technology it uses, the pen still looks and feels like a traditional writing instrument.

When you drive into a parking garage and take a parking ticket, a “Parking Guide” ticket indicates the nearest vacant parking spot in the building. This saves you from having to search for a spot. And there's another major advantage: when you want to return to your vehicle, the “Parking Guide” ticket will show you exactly where you parked, which means no more searching rows and rows of cars to find your own.

Similar to a roly-poly toy, this “Balance Stick” is a walking stick that will not fall over if you let go of it. This means that if you happen to lose your grip you won't have to bend over to pick it up again. And you can let go of it at any time if you need a second hand for something else. The rounded end gives the stick a rolling motion and supports walking. The design also makes it easier for the user to climb stairs.

“Plant Stickers” are a type of textile material that, for example, you can attach to the tiles in your kitchen. The sticker already contains seeds and plant food, and if it is kept moist the seeds will germinate and soon you'll have herbs “growing” out of your kitchen tiles.

In some cultures, the washbasin in a public place is often separated from the hand dryer or paper towels, which can cause the floor around the washbasin to become wet and result in people slipping and falling. The "Air-blade Washbasin" was designed to solve this problem. It combines an "Air-blade Hand Dryer" with a "Washbasin" to simplify user behavior. After washing one's hands, a person can dry them using the "Air-blade Hand Dryer.” One of the advantages of the design is that the floor around the washbasin stays dry. Also, there is less possibility of people falling and hurting themselves.

Switching between metric and imperial units can be complicated. To solve this problem, we have created a very convenient product called the E-ink Ruler. The E-ink Ruler has four major features. First, it can be changed from one unit to another immediately. Second, it enables users to estimate the length of anything quickly. Third, it makes dividing a length into equal parts very easy just by adjusting the E-ink Ruler divide button. Fourth, when wrapped around a cylindrical object, it can calculate the diameter and radius automatically.

“One plus one” is a product that combines a bicycle saddle with a tent to provide cyclists with greater mobility and a place to sleep if they need one. Carried in a backpack on the bike, the tent can be unpacked and set up quickly and easily. There is a built-in air mattress for a more comfortable night's sleep. The upper and lower parts of the tent are connected with a zipper, which is removable and easy to replace in this modular design.

TAKE EASY makes handling bowls easier and prevents annoying spills. Once you have filled up a bowl with soup, for example, you usually need the other hand to help you place it on a table. If you don't have a free hand, you might spill the soup or drop the bowl. The TAKE EASY bowl has been designed with a special base to make it easier to hold and handle with just one hand.

Zoom-in Tape was designed to help elderly people and anyone else who has difficulty in reading small print clearly. This can even become dangerous when it involves medication, if the user cannot clearly read the instructions or the expiry date on the container. This new tape can solve the problem. It can easily be removed and then fixed to surfaces with small print. The tape, which is convex and made of transparent material, works in the same way as a magnifying glass. Now users can clearly read the important medical information on any container.

We all have to start our life alone someday. And who can live without a table and a chair? Maybe we'll meet someone whom we want to live with, such as a roommate or a girl or boyfriend. Then we will need a bigger table and one more chair.

"Touch" is a whole new clinical thermometer. The concept comes from a mother touching her child's forehead to find out if he or she has a fever. This is unlike other thermometers which make one feel like a sick person. I do care for you when I "Touch" you.

Light Catcher is a solar battery designed to make efficient use of solar energy and to replace conventional batteries, which have a more negative impact on the environment. We hope that in the future people will be able to make better use of solar energy more naturally.

"So Cool" is a personal cooling fan powered by an aqua battery. Simply by placing the "So Cool" cooling fan on top of any PET bottle containing cold water, the aqua battery will turn the fan motor on and offer the user an immediate cool breeze. Users can press the nozzle button gently to create a refreshing water fog that achieves a simple cooling effect.

Although there are many different helmet sizes on the market, it is always difficult to find a helmet that fits perfectly, especially in the case of kids. This inflatable helmet pad allows users to adjust the size of the pad to fill the gap between the helmet and the head to make the perfect fit possible. The inflatable design also provides the user with an additional cushioned protection against impact.

This nice monster is your protector of toys: feed him before bedtime or out of the shadows will come figures that will steal your treasure while you're asleep. The Toy Guardian is a toy box on wheels. Parents will find that with a little story telling it easy to persuade their children to clean up their toys on their own. Each story is told in Toy Guardian, which encourages children to use their imagination, and turns what could have been a task into an enjoyable collaborative effort.

BabyQ is a sort of entertainment car for children. A step beyond the traditional tricycle, BabyO can be used with either two or three wheels. The three-wheeled BabyQ will keep parents calm when their children move fast on it, while the two-wheeled BabyQ helps children develop their sense of balance. The BabyQ is made with a delicate mixture of wood and wool felt that makes children feel as if they were playing with their favorite pet. BabyO allows children to enjoy a taste of nature in an enjoyable, sometimes dream-like atmosphere.