The winners of the designEX annual New Product Awards were announced at the conclusion of the successful three-day design exhibition.
To be eligible for the prestigious industry-judged awards products needed to meet some tough designEX criteria. The new product must have been released onto the Australian market between October 13 2010 and April 13, 2011, be exhibited at designEX 2011 and be available for delivery within three months of the designEX show.
Danielle Fischer from exhibition organisers Diversified Exhibitions explained, “With 13 different categories from decorative accessories, lighting and furniture to flooring, building technologies and sustainability, the New Product Awards really encapsulates the absolute diversity of the show.”
Winners and finalists for the New Product Awards were chosen on the basis of excellence in design and manufacture, innovative features, ergonomic design, functionality, aesthetics, durability, versatility, safety features, commercial viability and environmental sensitivity.
All entries were judged by a panel who considered a number of features including elements of lifecycle, relevant certification, energy consumption, product lifespan and finally environmental sensitivity for all sustainable categories. The award winners enjoy significant media coverage and valuable acknowledgement.
“Since its inception in 2002 the designEX New Product Award has become one of Australia's most respected product design awards. It demonstrates our commitment to the design industry and most importantly provides a platform for Australian companies to showcase smart new designs and be rewarded for innovation by their industry" explains Danielle.
The designEX New Product Award Winners 2011:
Appliances
V-Zug - Combi-Steam XSL
Bathroom
Hettich - Innotech P20 Drawer
Architectural Internal Products
ASP Access Floors - Steel Cementitious Air Tight System
Building Technologies
Liftshop - Supermac 2 Residential Lift
Decorative Accessories
The Fire Company - Ecosmart Fire
Doors and Windows
Toso Australia - Toso Creaty Drum Roman Blind
Architectural External and Structural Products
Sentrel Products - Sentrel
Fabrics and Prints
Hoad Fabrics - Gecko
Flooring
Forbo Flooring Systems - The Unexpected Nature of Marmoleum
Furniture
Hafele – Kessebohmer Convoy
Internal Surface Finish
Abet Laminati - Abet Laminati Crystaline
Lighting
Brightgreen - Cube
Sustainability
Bluebeam Software - Bluebeam PDF Revu
Judges for this year's New Product Awards were Geoff Fitzpatrick, Director National Strategy, Karen Baynes, Dominic Russo and Tonye Cardemone all from the Design Institute of Australia. All 70+ entrants in this year's competition had their new products on display in a dedicated feature area on the designEX show floor.
