RSA-US Student Design Awards

Two weeks ago, the best and brightest young designers in the United States arrived in New York to showcase their work and demonstrate the power of design in contributing to a more sustainable future.

These 36 young designers were the finalists in the third annual RSA-US Student Design Awards scheme, based on the successful flagship 91-year old RSA Student Design Awards programme.

The competition has gone from strength to strength in its three years working with students and faculties at colleges and universities around the United States. This year, they received 48 submissions, representing 135 students across a range of briefs on architecture, applied industrial design, communications design and more. From all entries, the judging panel selected the 36 finalists, who were invited to New York to discuss their work.

The winning student work ranged from large-scale systems design projects around the future of transport to communications campaigns to encourage us all to do our part to reduce air pollution.

The final round of judging and the Awards reception took place at The Cooper Union for Advancement of Science and Art in New York City, with RSA Fellows, university professors, students, friends, and patrons from around the globe participating in the action through the live-streaming and social media feed. 

Richard Clarke, Global Design Vice-President of Nike, Inc., gave the keynote address at the Awards Reception on April 25^th, noting how winning an RSA Student Design Award when he was a student changed his life, allowing him to move to the US and begin his design career that set him on his path to Nike.

Congratulations to all the winners and participants in the RSA-US Student Design Awards.