Winners for ECC NZ Student Craft/Design Awards 2015

Hilary Ng winning entry 'Ng'

MEDIA RELEASE

Embargoed until 9pm 24 September 2015

Winners Announced for ECC NZ Student Craft/Design Awards 2015

Fashion was the winner at the ECC NZ Student Craft / Design Awards held at The Dowse Art Museum tonight (Thursday 24 September). Massey University student Hilary Ng took away the Supreme Award and the Rembrandt Textile and Fashion Award with $3000 prize money for her experimental fashion collection 'NG'.

A recent graduate from Massey's Fashion Design School, Ng said that the recognition provides a real boost and encouragement to keep pushing and developing her work in new directions. 'For young designers wanting to do their own thing, exposure and funding is one of the hardest things, so I'm really thankful to The Friends, The Dowse and the sponsors, especially ECC and Rembrandt, for this opportunity, and look forward to using the money to work on new projects.'

A record number of entries were received by The Friends of the Dowse from students and recent graduates throughout New Zealand. Entries were invited from the fields of lighting, textile and fashion, furniture and product design, jewellery and glass and ceramics. The winning entries will be on display at The Dowse from 25-27 September.

Renowned designer David Trubridge, a judge of this year's awards, praised Hilary Ng's winning entry for her "very competent and confident use of form and ideas, clean resolved lines, and beautiful photographs". President of Friends of the Dowse, Heather Crichton said the calibre of entries was outstanding with this reflected in the category winners and highly commended entries.

This year $1000 cash prizes were awarded in the categories of winners:

ECC LTD Supreme Award, Rembrandt Textile and Fashion Award:

Hilary Ng - NG (Fashion Design, Massey University Wellington)

ECC LTD Lighting Award

Joshua Lee - Shibui Pendant (Auckland University of Technology)

ECC LTD Furniture and Product Design Award

Marvin Reber - Inclusion Couch (Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland)

Tuatara Glass and Ceramics Award

Abby Farrow - Nomadiceramics (Industrial Design, Massey University Wellington)

The Village Goldsmith Jewellery Award

Sandra Schmid - Rockstars (Jewellery, Whitirea, Wellington)

People's Choice Award

Kieren Thomas - Glowsticks (Industrial Design, Victoria University of Wellington)

Highly Commended:

Kieren Thomas - Glowsticks (Industrial Design, Victoria University of Wellington)

Nick Lyford - Clean Lines (Industrial Design, Victoria University of Wellington)

Nicole Austin, Peter Fulton and Matt Thomas - Karaef, (Industrial Design, Massey University Wellington)

Annabel Shepherd - Tidal Tea Cup (Industrial Design, Massey University Wellington)

Lauren Hickling - Eat Porcelain (Interior Architecture, Victoria University of Wellington)

Melissa McMahon - Schism (Design and Visual Arts, Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland)

Wilson Ong - Ceramic (Fashion Design, Whitecliffe College of Arts and Design)

Hannah Webster - The Revitalisation of the Weaving Mill (Textile Design, Massey University Wellington)

Emily Brain - Second Skin (Visual Arts, Otago Polytechnic)

Louise Caig - Rustic Metal Neckpiece (Jewellery. The Learning Connexion, Lower Hutt).

These prestigious annual awards, run by the Friends of the Dowse and hosted at The Dowse Art Museum, have been supporting the careers of designers and artists for over 25 years. ECC is a nationally-recognised lighting and furniture design company, bringing exceptional designs from all over the world into our homes and commercial environments. The Friends of The Dowse thank ECC, Urbis magazine, The Village Goldsmith, Rembrandt, Efficient Moving and Storage and Tuatara for their generous support.

© Scoop Media