2020 Polestar Design Contest: the winners
After months of deliberations, the winners of the 2020 Polestar Design Contest have been announced. And though the field was crowded with amazing submissions, making the task of the jury panel almost impossible, two designs stood out.
And it wasn’t just that they were amazing designs (which they were). The Rule of Cool didn’t apply here. These designs had to show products that had a purpose. They had to offer a solution to a problem our society faces, or a unique take on sustainable mobility, and they had to do so within the parameters of the design brief.
“We received an overwhelming amount of enthusiastic attention from inspired designers all over the world,” says Juan-Pablo Bernal, Polestar Senior Design Manager, curator of the @polestardesigncommunity Instagram account and the founder of the contest. “The designers produced very high-quality material, and we saw a consistent expression of the Polestar design language.”
The winner in the professional category was Poland’s Konrad Cholewka. His design, dubbed “Polestar MMXL”, is an autonomous electric car with a rear opening and movable platform which make it universally accessible. “I added this feature because I believe in a sustainable future for all,” says Cholewka, explaining the purpose behind his product which makes sustainable mobility open to all, while following Polestar design cues.
The winner in the student category was Siddhesh Bhogale. The Indian design student breathed new life into an antiquated form of transportation with his “Polestar 40” electric zeppelin, conceived of in order to get Arctic researchers to remote locations using less power. This product was “a futuristic zeppelin, backed by the progressive technology and pure form language of Polestar,” he states.
A third design was given an honourable mention: “Spänning”, Arthur Martins’ electric yacht. “Pure is the complete absence of the unnecessary,” states the Brazilian designer. “My design...condenses everything in a form so simple that even a young kid could replicate it by themselves.”
“It was both inspirational and humbling to interact with so much emerging and experienced talent. The designs we saw evolve from creative sketches to 3D models show that the design world is a melting pot of exceptional individuals. We look forward to seeing these designers moving on to great things during their promising careers,” comments Polestar Head of Design Maximilian Missoni.
See above for a contest retrospective, and visit the contest page for more information.
