Submissions for the 2010 Qantas Spirit of Youth Awards are now open!

Designers aged 30 and under across seven creative fields are invited to submit their work for a chance to receive $5000 of financial support, $5000 in Qantas flights as well as a rare 12 month mentorship opportunity with creative leaders including Marc Newson, Zimmermann, Deanne Cheuk, Jan Chapman and Liz Ann Macgregor.

Categories include:

• fashion
• film and animation
• industrial and object design
• music
• photography
• visual arts
• visual communication

Submissions are due on the 9th August, for further information please go to www.soya.com.au .

The Seoul Design Foundation in collaboration with designboom have launched their call-for-entries for the 2010 Seoul Cycle Design Competition.

The competition seeks to foster a healthy cycling culture in the city and requests entries from professionals, students and design-enthusiasts in the categories of cycle design, cycle fashion & accessories design, and cycling infrastructure. Prize money totals US$46,000 across a number of categories.

For more information visit designboom.

Indesign Launch Pad: Entries Close May 10

LaunchPad is an important and unique Australian initiative focusing on the support and development of Australian product design.

Through the Launch Pad program and exhibition, the local and international design community nurtures and celebrates original, authentic and innovative emerging Australian design, by supporting and cultivating the careers of those product designers involved.

The depth and breadth of Launch Pad goes far beyond its annual exhibition of prototypes. The expertly curated Launch Pad program of events also promotes real relationships between people, ideas and products in design.=

As the centrepiece of the South Perth Fiesta Finale, Unwrapped: South Perth will showcase more than 70 designers at Sir James Mitchell Park, overlooking the Swan River.
 
As always, there will be a huge range of fantastic products on sale from local designers - from photography and art, to jewellery and menswear. Please mark these details in your diary:

1pm to 6pm
Saturday 6 March
Sir James Mitchell Park (near Coode Street Jetty)
South Perth foreshore

The Weather Ring is onto its second issue, and lots has happened in the city since the Perth architecture/design mag launched last February.

The Weather Ring is the brainchild of Perthites Andrew Murray & Clare Wohlnick and is an attempt to chronicle and display the many facets of design in the state, from architecture to graphic and packaging design, past, present and future.

This issue features Tom Freeman writing on materials, a CODA Studio redesign of a rehab farm, recollections of a Montessori childhood, and a fascinating interview with veteran graphic designer Rick Lambert.
Printed copies of The Weather Ring are now available at FORM on Murray, or online on their blog.

"I’ve always seen the park bench as a good metaphor for good urban space. You sit on them, you fall in love on them, you eat your sandwiches on them, you get drunk on them, you carve your name and your girlfriend’s name on them…” (Andrew Shoben, director of UK collective Greyworld)

Urban Designers around the world argue that the park bench is a good metaphor for good urban spaces. Jan Gehl’s Public Space Public Life research revealed that Perth has increased its cafe chair seats by 74% since 1993. Improvements to our streetscapes since the initial report have been fundamental to the increasing number of people enjoying Perth’s streets.

What does design have to offer to a biotech revolution?

'Think outside the parking box'

Nissan and Designboom have launched an international graphic design competition in search of a cutting edge design to challenge the concept of conventional urban parking. 

Nissan's new vehicle, the Qashqai, is being pitched as 'Urbanproof'. Designs for the competition 'may challenge any element of urban parking... Ideas must challenge current perceptions of urban parking and offer a tougher, sleeker, or even playful rendering of it.'¹

Design Process will see King street retailers collaborating with local creative talent to present an interpretation of the process behind all facets of design.

Opening night will involve installations and/or performance in the retailer's window space from 5pm and an exhibition from all artists involved at the Wellington Projects gallery space from 7pm.