RSA Student Design Awards

Judging

RSA Student Design Awards juries consist of practising designers and representatives from industry, education and other sponsoring organisations. The judging of each project takes place over two meetings. At the first meeting, the juries view all the submissions and draw up a short-list which demonstrates potential creative ability within the constraints set out in the project brief. Short-listed candidates are invited for interview at which they will discuss their competition entry. Portfolio work and plans for the use of an award may also be discussed.

Juries are also able to make constructive criticisms of each candidate’s portfolio and offer advice. Juries are asked to make an award only when they are entirely satisfied with the design ability of the candidate.

Judging criteria

There are six judging criteria that your work will be measured against. The judging critieria are weighted differently for each brief and the weightings can be easily understood through pie charts in the top right-hand corner on the second page of each brief. The judging criteria are:

1. Social and/or environmental benefit
   How does your design benefit society and/or the environment?
   
2. Research
   Where did you go to research this issue? Whom did you speak to or
   interview? What questions did you ask? What did you learn?
3. Design thinking
   We want to know about your thought processes and insights. Your insights might be research-based or intuitive, or a combination of both, but the judges want to see you relate the final concept clearly to these insights. What journey did you go through to get to the final result?
4. Commercial awareness
   Does your design make sense from a financial point of view?
5. Execution
   We are looking for a design that is pleasing and looks and feels well resolved.
   
6. Magic
   We are looking for a bit of ‘magic’ – a surprising or lateral design solution that delights
   
   

Judging panels

The RSA appoints a different judging panel for each Student Design Awards project, usually comprising a chair selected from the RSA Council or the Faculty of Royal Designers for Industry, together with design professionals, design educators and representatives of the sponsoring organisations.