I N T E R I O R I N N O V A T I O N A W A R D 2 0 1 1

The Interior Innovation Award is one of the most prestigious awards of the furnishing sector world-wide and was launched in 2002 by imm cologne, which provides the idea behind the competition. The organiser is the German Design Council. Through this competition imm cologne and the German Design Council have succeeded in creating an effective tool for corporate positioning and product differentiation for the interior furnishings market. The Interior Innovation Award appraises top innovations in all product areas of this sector of industry. For the eighth time, furthermore, the Interior Innovation Award will be presented to three young designers who are new recruits to the profession, and whom the jury will select from the talent show D3 Contest 2011.

We look forward to your participation and wish you all success!

ORGANIZER

The German Design Council has been founded in 1953, following a resolution of the German Parliament, to meet the growing need on the part of industry for information about design. Today this institution is one of the world’s leading centres of excellence for communication and knowledge transfer on the subject of design. Through competitions, exhibitions, conferences, consultancy services, research and publications it opens new horizons to representatives of industry and the design disciplines. In 2002 the German Design Counil developed the Interior Innovation Award on behalf of imm cologne as a international design award for the interior branch. Nowadays the price belongs to the most important commendations in this segment worldwide.

WHERE THE IDEAS COME FROM

The imm cologne, from the pilot fair started in 1929, has developed to the largest trend fair in 1950 and since 1983 has been the international furniture show with an annual staging, is now the world’s largest exhibition for the furniture industry. The renaming of the event in 2003 to imm cologne initiated the development from a pure furniture exhibition to an interior design show.

From that point on the imm cologne set the focus on innovation and design themes which found its expression in starting the Interior Innovation Award but also with installations like the ideal houses and the imm cologne’s trend activities with publishing the trend book “Interior Trends” and staging the accompanying trend exhibition every year. Therewith involved began the continued promotion of young designers which became the D³ Design Talents project in 2006.

For the first time in 2011 the biannual kitchen show LivingKitchen takes place parallel to the imm cologne which completes the whole spread of interior design. With over 1,150 exhibitors and the expectation of more than 120,000 visitors, domestic and international, imm cologne and LivingKitchen will be regarded as one of the most important events in the field of interior design in 2011. At the beginning of every year imm cologne offers with international trends and marketable innovations the basis for successful business relationships within the interior design branch. 

ENTRY

All businesses may enter for the Interior Innovation Award providing their products are listed in the following product categories. All products may be entered which are covered by the product categories listed and which are already available on the market, will be available on the market from the time of the fair, or for which a market launch is due immediately. Products must not be older than two years. Re-editions or new versions of products may be entered, providing they have not been on the market for longer than two years. The same applies to products to which major changes or renewals have been made. Each company may submit as many products as it wishes.

PRODUCT CATEGORIES

Furniture, e.g.: beds, wardrobes, cupboards and storage devices, chairs and sofas, specialist furniture, tables, house and home accessories

Bathroom, e.g.: taps and fittings, bathroom accessories, bathroom furniture, sanitary products

Office and workplace, e.g.: office accessories, office equipment, office furniture, writing implements

Building fixtures, e.g.: letter boxes, metal fittings, energy technology, windows and doors, building and door signs, switches and operating controls

Wall, floor, ceiling, e.g.: wallpapers, tiles, carpets, textile floor coverings, floor coverings of other materials, wall coverings of all kinds

Kitchen and household, e.g.: kitchen fittings, cutlery and accessories, large electrical appliances, small electrical appliances, crockery and accessories, household equipment, kitchen furniture, kitchen accessories

Lighting, e.g.: exterior lighting, decorative lighting, technical lighting, work lighting

Textiles, e.g.: decorative fabrics, furniture fabrics, furniture leather, table and kitchen linen, bathroom textiles, bedclothes.

REGISTRATION

Registration for entry to the Interior Innovation Award 2011 can only be made online at www.interior-innovation-award.com Close of registration is 12 November 2010. All information on the company or business and on the product (including text for description of product) must be entered in the online registration.

Following successful online registration, you will receive a confirmation by e-mail and an information leaflet, showing the additional information which you will need to send to the organiser by post. This additional information is: 1 to 5 pictures of the product (including detailed photograph if necessary) as Hard copy (format max. 18 x 24 cm) and Digital copy on CD-ROM (TIF or EPS formats in CMY K mode (max. file size 20 MB). Prospectus material relating to the products may also be attached. Please send your documents (photographs, drawings, information and CD-ROM) by 19 November 2010 (receipt stamp) to the following address:

•  
• Rat für Formgebung/German Design Council
• Interior Innovation Award 2011
• Dependance/Messegelände
• Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage 1
• 60327 Frankfurt am Main
• Germany

Please note that the entrant’s details and those of the products submitted will be adopted from the online registration. The organiser accepts no liability for deficient or incorrect information in the Yearbook or other publications.

JURY

• Tomoko Azumi, Designer, London
• Barbara Friedrich, Editor-in-Chief of A&W Architektur & Wohnen, Hamburg
• Sam Hecht, Designer, London
• Andrej Kupetz, General Manager, German Design Council, Frankfurt
• Giulio Ridolfo, Designer, Udine
• Gerhard Wolf, Funktion Möbel, Darmstadt

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 

Products and services should display particularly striking features in terms of the following qualities:

• – Utility
• – Ergonomics
• – Overall concept
• – Functionality and ease of operation
• – Design quality
• – Degree of innovation
• − Longevity
• – Marketing concept and marketing innovation
• – Ecological friendliness, ecological quality
• – Aesthetics
• – Safety and freedom from barriers

The foregoing list does not represent any league table of criteria or assessment priorities for the jury. In weighing the individual criteria, the jury will be free to evaluate as it thinks fit. Participating businesses will receive a written notice of the results of the jury meetings. Legal proceedings are excluded.

DEADLINES

• Closing date for registration: 12 November 2010
• Closing date for submission of information
  
• (receipt stamp): 19 November 2010
• Jury meeting to decide prize-winners: 25 November 2010
• Jury meeting to decide Best of Best: 15 und 16 January 2011
• Award ceremony: 17 January 2011