2005 Interior Motives Design award winners announced

 The Interior Motives Design Awards were held on the second press day of the IAA in Frankfurt. Now in its third year, the awards ceremony is a regular fixture, inked into schedules as a chance to meet and make acquaintances. Each year, Interior Motives proposes a range of design briefs to leading universities, giving their young talent the opportunity to have their work viewed by leading designers and win up to $5000.

Supported by several prominent automotive industry suppliers, it also gives an opportunity to see who is up-and-coming, providing an arena for visions from many different countries to be directly compared. This year, there were 300 entries from more than 40 countries and 51 different design schools, who submitted their work for any of the eight categories. Judges included Olivier Boulay of Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design, Tokyo, and Patrick Le Quement, Head of Design at Renault, Paris.

Continuing their commitment to young talent and innovation, the award for Best Innovation was given by David Shall of Technicon Design. Despite competition from Britain and Spain, it was a group from Russia that staggered on stage, winning for their adaptable vehicle that clearly exposed their architectural roots.

For the Best Use of Technology, Volkswagen designers Romulous Rost (Audi TT interior) and Wolfgang M?ller-Pietralla presented the trophy to Michal Latko from Poland for his truck cab, nudging past previous winner Oriol Mogas Bartomeu, also shortlisted. Kristofer Oberg from Ume? Institute of Design was also nominated for his excellent integrated controls for a steering wheel.

Seton seating company introduced the next batch tussling for the Best Production Interior award. Judging entries on 'value added through design', this went to Taiwanese student Tzu-Han Chou who studies in San Francisco at the Academy of Art University.

His proposal was akin to a next generation Mercedes-Benz A-Class, with a diving swage and interesting proportions that brings the tip of the side glass above the front axle, using this extra glass to enlighten the interior. Interestingly, Chou was also nominated for the Best Conceptual Interior, but this went to co-student Ryan Campbell, while Best Lifestyle Interior went to Curic Kemal from University of Wuppertal, Germany, with his thorough and tidy sketching.

Presenting something Wilma and Shaggy might be more accustomed to was Australian Jonas Claesson, in his proposal for Best Eco Design Concept. Previous winner Reginald Olufshola from Northumbria University, UK was also shortlisted, but it was another American, William Tu, who picked up the award - or would have done, had the Atlantic not been in the way. He appeared on video to accept the award.

New categories this year included Best Production Exterior and Best Conceptual Exterior, in an awards scheme that has begun to increasingly include exteriors: each entry this year had to be accompanied by one. While interiors continue to take precedence at the ceremony, these new categories seem at odds to the title of the host magazine. in the end, it was the two Swedes who took these, Jarno Sundell and Jonathan Tatum, both from Ume? Institute of Design.

After the eight categories were awarded, Intier Automotive presented the nominations for the overall winner, who best demonstrated their 'power of thinking' and a 'design fulfilling dreams and desires'. Ryan Campbell and Curic Kemal were shortlisted, but the cheque went instead to the jet-lagged comrades who had just come over that day from the Siberian side of Russia on their first trip outside their country. And what a trip: tiredness caused two of them to fall into the swimming pool during dinner. Nevertheless, the first Russians in the competition, from Tomsk State University of Architecture & Building, defied their country's crude car industry and non-automotive background, challenging convention and making one think differently about transport. Exactly what this competition is all about.

The Interior Motives Design Awards 2005 judges were:
- Olivier Boulay, Daimler Chrysler
- Guy Burgoyne, Volvo Cars
- Bill Fluharty, Johnson Controls
- Tony Hunter, Land Rover
- Patrick le Quement, Renault
- Roberto Piatti, Stile Bertone
- Marek Reichman, Aston Martin
- Romulus Rost, Design Center Europe
- Stephane Schwarz, Nissan Design Europe
- Rus Shafer, Intier Automotive

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