Formica Canada has announced the beginning of the 2024 FORM Student Innovation Competition, marking its seventh consecutive year.
This annual event extends an invitation to architecture and interior design students across Canada, the United States, and Mexico to unleash their creativity by crafting original furniture designs showcasing Formica brand products.
In celebration of 110 years of Formica brand products, this year’s challenge revolves around the theme of “newstalgia.” This emerging aesthetic fuses retro and vintage design elements with a contemporary twist.
Within their design concepts, students are required to incorporate a minimum of two Formica Laminate patterns and at least one colour from the innovative FENIX Materials range.
The grand prize winner will receive a cash award of $2,000 USD, with their design brought to life and displayed during NeoCon 2024. The second-place winner will be honoured with a $1,000 USD prize, while the third-place recipient will receive $500 USD. The top three achievers will also enjoy the privilege of attending NeoCon as guests of Formica, affording them the opportunity to connect with industry professionals, explore emerging trends, and engage with leaders in the design community.
The competition is open from now until March 8, 2024, with the announcement of winners scheduled for May 2024. A panel of industry and design experts will serve as judges for the submissions.
“The 2023 edition of the competition attracted an exceptional group of Canadian students who distinguished themselves by the number of participants, but also by the creativity and quality of the designs submitted,” said Christelle Locat-Rainville, marketing director at Formica Canada. “We can’t wait to see how participants of the 2024 competition will interpret “newstalgia” and to discover their creations, especially as they will reflect on our 110 years of design”.
In 2023, the first-place winner was Tom-Elliot Monette from CEGEP Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu. The second-place distinction was achieved by Dario Duran, a student from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and the third-place honour went to Meaghan Maass representing Fanshawe College in Ontario. All three winners had the opportunity to attend NeoCon 2023.
For more information about the previous edition’s winners, click here.