About the year 2013

'Swiss Federal Design Awards' exhibition

Swiss Design Awards 2013 in Basle during DesignMiami/Basel and Art Basel
The Swiss Design Awards 2013 exhibition presents the 59 works by the designers who reached the second round of the Federal Design Competition. It is an ideal opportunity to find out more about contemporary design and features works by young and established designers from a number of areas: products and objects, fashion and textile design, graphic design, photography, scenography and intermediation. Some of the works are commissions while others are the designers' own projects. Together, they provide an insight into the current activities of the Swiss design industry. The exhibition itself has been designed by Holzer Kobler Architekturen, who developed the overall concept jointly with the Federal Office of Culture (FOC).

Competition
Organised annually by the FOC since 1918, Switzerland's leading national design competition aims to create platforms that help the competition winners advance in their careers and present their work to a wider audience. Of the 276 dossiers submitted by a total of 315 individuals, the FOC singled out 20 positions (29 designers) from the fields of graphic design (6), fashion design (4), photography (3), products and objects (5), and intermediation (2). Winners can choose between prize money of CHF 25,000, a six-month internship at a well-known firm, or free studio residences in London and New York.
This year was the second since the age limit of 40 was lifted. A glance at the list of winners reveals that around a fifth were over 40, and this proportion is also reflected in the applications.

Jury

President
Patrick Reymond
architect, designer, Atelier Oï, La Neuveville

Members
Laurent Benner
visual designer, London and Zurich

Lionel Bovier
Editor, JRP/Ringier Kunstverlag, Paris and Zurich

Christoph Hefti
Textildesigner, Brussels

Annemarie Hürlimann
Exhibition curator, Zurich and Berlin

Renate Menzi
Design collection curator, Museum of Design Zurich

Heidi Wegener
Organisation consultant, Meilen

Experts
Felix Flury
Jewellery designer and gallery owner, Solothurn and London

Catherine Ince
Curator Barbican Art Gallery, London

Ulrike Meyer Stump
Photography lecturer, Zurich

Jonas Williamsson
Graphic Designer, Stockholm