german design council announces the winning projects of one&twenty 2023

german design council reveals the 21 winners of one&twenty

The winners of the international newcomer competition ‘one&twenty’, organized by the German Design Council – formerly known as ‘ein&zwanzig’ – have been selected! The prestigious jury chose 21 winning projects from 545 entries submitted by young emerging designers from 134 universities and 53 countries. The submissions stand out for their curiosity, aesthetics and ingenuity, characterized by their customizable functionalities and longevity.

(above) NakedPak by Naama Nicotra

(banner) E2022

all images courtesy of Rat für Formgebung

With the internationally advertised competition ‘one&twenty’, the German Design Council has been promoting young design talents since 2017. The award is aimed at design students, graduates, and young professionals with innovative and pioneering work in categories such as Interior Design, Lifestyle, Eco Design, Social Design & Medical and Rehabilitation, Material and Textiles, Techniques and Processes for Design, Public Design, and Digitally Supported Design. Following the submissions, an international expert jury of 12 members selects 21 outstanding works out of which one is awarded as the Best of Best.

‘Young design talents show us important ways to meaningfully redesign our world with enthusiasm and creativity, from climate protection to inclusion. They choose bold approaches and are both idea generators and drivers for the industry,’ says enthousiastically Lutz Dietzold, CEO of the German Design Council.

Essence of Biocement by ‘Best of Best’ winners Julia Huhnholz and Friedrich Gerlach

winners use experimental materials for climate protection

Several winning projects address the urgently needed alternatives to mineral and fossil resources like oil to prevent rapid climate change and allow for a carbon-neutral circular economy. This issue is not just important from an environmental perspective, but also because businesses seek solutions to reduce their carbon footprint under stricter taxonomy regulations.

One project that deals with alternative resources is ‘NakedPak’ by Israeli designer Naama Nicotra (Holon Institute of Technology). The design replaces the commonly used plastic packaging of food with one made of natural materials, highlighting the algae as the most important component. As a concept, Nicotra’s packaging is not trash – it’s part of the meal; a bundle of spaghetti, for example, is wrapped in a layer of bio-plastic mixed with tomato sauce. Once in contact with hot water, the tasteless natural ingredients dissolve.

Essence of Biocement by ‘Best of Best’ winners Julia Huhnholz and Friedrich Gerlach

who won the best of best one&twenty award?

Julia Huhnholz and Friedrich Gerlach (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar) experimented with a little-known material for their project: bio-cement, which is currently used only in a few construction projects. Based on their research, the young designers created a seating furniture called ‘The Essence of Biocement’. While traditional cement requires significant amounts of heat and its production releases carbon dioxide, bio-cement requires no energy and is emission-free. Instead, it is made microbially, with a bacterium, urea and sand. Gerlach and Huhnholz also used recycled bricks instead of sand.

Expendable Rug by Emma Tietze

Flexible and individual: Design products for all people

Other projects focus on people’s needs, especially the desire for flexibility and individuality: from an adjustable rug (Emma Tietze, Universität der Künste Berlin) that adapts to new spaces during relocation to a height-adjustment kit for the Eiermann table frame (Tim Schütze, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin). The projects hit the zeitgeist, according to the jury, because they were developed from the outset with the aim of durability and respond to the desire for reuse and recycling.

Vaask by Helena Kiefer

Helena Kiefer’s project ‘Vaask’ also addresses specific user needs. The designer (Hochschule Darmstadt) has developed a system that allows immobile people to have a simple and dignified hair wash. The concept of the newcomer convinces the jury with a mobile trolley with water tanks and a sink that can be used directly on the hospital bed for hair washing.

project info:

name: one&twenty | @1_and_20

organization: Rat für Formgebung – German Design Council | @germandesigncouncil

winners: Naama Nicotra/Israel; Julia Huhnholz und Friedrich Gerlach /Germany; Sophie Jungkvist/Sweden; Tim Schütze/Germany; Vivian Tamm/Germany; Jan Wagemann und Julia Ribic/Germany and Croatia; Cora Schmidt; Julia Sulikowska/Poland; Josua Roters/Germany; Moritz Walter and Michelle Müller/Germany; David Blumberg/Germany; Leonie Burkhardt/Germany; Justus Hilfenhaus/Germany; Marc Roman Page/Germany; Jakob Kohnle und Stijn van Cuijk/Germany and the Netherlands; Emma Tietze/Germany; Alexander Schul/Germany; Manuel Steffan/Germany; Felix Pape/Germany