Today, Lexus announced that the luxury brand is adapting their Grand Prix judging for the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2020 to a virtual environment in August with the Grand Prix winner to be announced on Sept 1. “We were presented with a unique set of circumstances this year,” said Brian Bolain, Lexus International, General Manager of Global Marketing & PR, “but Lexus remains focused on the Award’s original mission of supporting tomorrow’s creators with a new launchpad for their careers.”
Out of 2,042 entries from 79 countries, a record for LEXUS DESIGN AWARD, only one Grand Prix winner will be selected. The Virtual Grand-Prix Selection will link the six finalists and the esteemed judging panel of Paola Antonelli, Jeanne Gang, John Maeda, and Simon Humphries. The judges’ decision on the Grand Prix winner will be based on three key principles of the Lexus brand: Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate, with an emphasis on design that leads to a better tomorrow.
“Great designers thrive in difficult situations, and help individuals and society deal with unexpected change,” said Paola Antonelli.”This year’s finalists have already passed the first important test by continuing their good work despite complex circumstances. We will miss meeting them in person, but we look forward to their experiments and to the new wisdom that they will bring to the virtual Grand Prix Selection.”
January, the six finalists participated in a momentous workshop experience in New York City. The workshop put the finalists face-to-face with four acclaimed mentors: Joe Doucet, Bethan Gray, Philippe Malouin and Shohei Shigematsu, each of whom shared their own distinctive wisdom and expertise. INTERSECT BY LEXUS-NYC, the brand’s unique lifestyle space, served as the workshop venue. In the ensuing months, the finalists have benefited from their mentors’ ongoing guidance and support via one-on-one online mentoring sessions, which continue to stimulate their creative evolution in preparing their works for the final judging process. The four Mentors will also join the virtual Grand Prix Selection.
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SOURCE: Lexus