SEOUL DESIGN AWARD

 - The Grand Prize was awarded to the ‘EYELIKE PLATFORM,’ an innovative solution for preventing blindness and improving eye health for low-income residents.

 - The project has established a sustainable ecosystem that connects donors and medical professionals through an online donation model utilizing smartphone technology.

 - The project ‘Solar Cow,’ aimed at reducing child labor and enhancing educational opportunities, has also received attention.

 - This year, 65 countries participated in Seoul Design Award 2024, marking a 61.5% increase in submissions compared to the previous year, elevating the award to a global public design accolade.

 

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□ The Seoul Design Award 2024, organized by the Seoul Design Foundation (CEO Cha Gang-hee), awarded the Grand Prize to the joint project ‘EYELIKE PLATFORM’ from India and Korea. This marks the fifth iteration of the Seoul Design Award, with a Korean designer team achieving this prestigious recognition for the first time.

 

 

□ The EYELIKE PLATFORM was developed to prevent blindness and enhance eye health in low-income and resource-limited regions. It connects global donors with local medical professionals through an online donation module, establishing a sustainable support ecosystem.

○ Despite the availability of relatively simple treatments for eye diseases, many regions of the world continue to witness frequent cases of blindness due to delayed diagnoses and treatment. 

○ This project provides local healthcare workers with portable digital ophthalmoscopes and AI diagnostic systems, enabling them to conduct examinations quickly and efficiently.

 

 

□ Judging panel member Birgit Lohmann (Co-founder of Design Boom) praised the platform, stating, “The user-friendly digital ophthalmoscope exemplifies the potential of smartphone technology and is an excellent idea combining sustainability and innovation.”

○ Additionally, Italian designer Ezio Manzini (Founder and President of DESIS) commended it as “an outstanding project that solves complex problems through recycling technology, artificial intelligence, and remote ophthalmology platforms.”

 

 

□ During the ceremony, the Best of Best awards were also announced. In the Creativity/Innovation category, the ‘Water Hyacinth Floating Garden’ from France and Cambodia won; in the Participation/Cooperation category, the ‘Chaki Washi, handicrafts center’ from France and Ecuador was recognized; and in the Inspiration/Impact category, ‘Solar Cow & AYANTU’ from Korea and Ethiopia received awards.

○ The ‘Water Hyacinth Floating Garden’ is an innovative initiative that provides self-sufficient food production methods to residents of floating villages in Cambodia, promoting food security and economic independence.

○ The ‘Chaki Washi, handicrafts center’ is a modern indigenous structure reflecting Andean culture, preserving traditional building techniques while generating tourism revenue through community collaboration.

○ ‘Solar Cow & AYANTU’ provides solar energy to schools, reducing child labor and expanding educational access by distributing lights to residents without electricity, encouraging children to attend school and charge lights through Solar Cow technology.

 

 

□ The Seoul Design Award 2024 ceremony took place on October 25 at the DDP Design Hall, where Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon personally presented the awards. Officials from the embassies of the winners’ countries were present to extend congratulatory messages along with floral tributes.

○ The ten projects nominated for the Grand Prize will be showcased in a pop-up exhibition at DDP, open to the public, and permanently displayed in the magazine library. The Domestic Citizen’s Choice Award was determined through on-site voting, while the Global Citizen’s Choice Award will be decided by a combination of online and on-site votes, as well as the number of ‘likes’ on Instagram videos by October 27.

 

 

□ Cha Gang-hee, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, stated, “The Seoul Design Award has positioned itself as a global design award, and Seoul is recognized as an important design platform sharing innovative solutions worldwide,” congratulating the achievements of designers from various countries.

 

 

□ Since 2019, the Seoul Design Award has discovered sustainable design projects contributing to the ‘resolution of social issues’ for five years. While other leading design awards evaluate commercial products, the Seoul Design Award has aimed to seek the ideal direction for society through design.

 ○ Annually since 2019, the Seoul Design Award exhibition and ceremony at DDP have communicated global public design trends. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Design Foundation have continued to operate the global design award, providing significant motivation to designers in the public design sector, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, 575 projects from 65 countries were submitted.

 

 

□ All awarded works can be viewed on the official website of the Seoul Design Award (www.seouldesign.or.kr). The Global Citizen’s Choice Award will be announced after voting concludes on October 27.