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Designers or design students with outstanding achievements or good potential for career development in the design profession now have a chance to enhance their professional skills and broaden their horizons overseas.
The Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards 2006 launched today (May 30) will offer the chance for eight outstanding young designers and design students to undergo overseas study or work attachment with reputable design organisations abroad.
Two of the awards, each with $500,000 sponsorship, are funded by the Government under the DesignSmart Initiative. The others six are offered by industrial and education sponsors with a total sponsorship of $1.3 million.
The award scheme, first organised last year under the DesignSmart Initiative, is part of the Government's efforts to help nurture a pool of design talent in Hong Kong.
Five outstanding young designers were selected in the 2005 scheme to go overseas for training at reputable organisations to broaden their horizons. While two of them received government sponsorship under the DesignSmart Initiative, the other three are beneficiaries of donations from the education and industry sectors.
The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Joseph WP Wong, received, on behalf of the Government, donations from the sponsors at a launch ceremony today at the Hong Kong Design Centre.
"The purpose of the awards is to confer official recognition on the achievements of outstanding young Hong Kong designers," Mr Wong said.
"I am very happy to see that outside contributions has increased from $750,000 to $1.3 million, and we are now able to offer eight awards instead of five last year.
"I take this opportunity to thank the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Vocational Training Council, Gold Peak Industries [Holdings] Limited, Bright Future Foundation, and the Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council for their generous support which, together with the government's $1 million, raises the total amount of all prizes to $2.3 million this year," Mr Wong said.
The Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards 2006 are administered by the DesignSmart Secretariat of the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC). The co-organisers are Hong Kong Design Centre, the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council. They will provide technical advice and support in the implementation process.
Among the eight awards, four are for practising designers. They are "DesignSmart Young Design Talent Awards" (the two Government-funded awards), "PolyU Outstanding Young Design Talent Award" (award of $250,000 donated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University) and "HKDI Young Design Talent Award" (award of $250,000 donated by the VTC Design Education Fund).
The four awards for design students are "YIC Young Design Talent Award" (two awards of $250,000 each donated by the Bright Future Foundation and Gold Peak Industries [Holdings] Limited) and YIC Young Design Talent Merit Awards (two awards of $150,000 each donated by the Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council).
The award scheme is run on a nomination basis. Nominees must be aged 35 or under and be Hong Kong permanent residents. For practising designer, he/she should have at least one year full-time work experience in the design profession, be nominated by his/her employer, a design educational institute, a design or industry association; or a design professional. For design student, he/she should be a final-year student in the academic year 2005/06 of design courses and be nominated by the local educational institute concerned. Nominees are required to submit a portfolio of design work and their nominations must reach the DesignSmart Secretariat by August 18, 2006.
The assessment criteria include the nominee's personal achievements and talent in his/her own field, his/her potential for career development in the design profession, and his/her possible contribution to the development of design and innovation in Hong Kong in the future.
A judging panel chaired by the Commissioner for Innovation and Technology and comprising The Hon Victor Lo, Mr Roy Chung, Mr Ko Man On, Mr Stanley Lau, Mr Tommy Li, Ms Lo Kai-yin, Ms Judy Mann, and Mr Winnif Pang will assess the nominations to decide on the awardees.
Details about the Hong Kong Young Design Talent Awards 2006, and the nomination forms, are available from the website, www.designtalent.gov.hk. Enquiries can be made to the DesignSmart Secretariat at ITC, 20/F, Wu Chung House, 213 Queen's Road East, Wan Chai, Hong Kong (tel: 2737 2462; email: enquiry@designtalent.gov.hk).
Ends/Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:33
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