Shortly after we learned that Tesla was open to receiving design ideas for a new China-centric car, open to everyone to enter, now Polestar is doing something similar. Volvo’s electrified performance arm has launched a design contest of its own, also open to anyone who wants to give it a shot and split into multiple categories for both students and professional designers.
The contest was launched today, June 23, and it runs until October 26. What entrants have to do in order to join is to try to imagine something that Polestar could sell in 20 years’ time. What makes this especially fun is that those who enter aren’t restricted to just designing cars and they can come up with something that would match Polestar’s style since the company doesn’t want to ‘ limit future directions.’
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What entrants have to submit to be accepted are either sketches or digital images and if they are accepted, then they will have to turn their designs into actual 3D models. This will be done under the supervision of Polestar’s head of design, Maximilian Missoni who explained that
‘ With this contest we aim to challenge talented designers to push boundaries and think in new directions – much like we do. I look forward to seeing some amazing designs that promote design expression in a new modern landscape. ‘
Polestar launches global design contest
As a design-focused car brand with a designer as its CEO, Polestar announces an annual Design Contest. Running this year from 23 June to 26 October, the contest will uniquely see Polestar designers coaching shortlisted contestants and modelers assisting to bring their creations to life. The contest is inspired by the wealth of creativity shared by designers with Polestar’s @polestardesigncommunity Instagram page – another initiative of the Polestar Design department.
The contest requires entrants to design a new type of Polestar that stretches the boundaries of imagination, looks ahead 20 years without stretching into the realm of fantasy, with “Pure” as its theme – it could be a car or something else, as the designers behind the contest are keen not to limit future directions for Polestar.
The contest has both student and professional designer categories, with initial designs submitted in the form of sketches or digital images. Shortlisted contestants will then develop their designs as digital models, with remote coaching and guidance from Polestar’s designers and Maximilian Missoni, Head of Design. The winning student and professional designers will get their designs modelled in the same ways as all Polestar designs – in the Gothenburg-based design centre as highly detailed hard models.
With a different theme to the design brief each year, Polestar Design Contest winners and their models will be presented at a Polestar design exhibition – an annual event curated by Polestar Design that will tour the world in an art gallery-like environment.
“We have experienced fantastic creative interpretation of the Polestar design philosophy from a wealth of aspiring designers all over the world,” explains Juan Pablo Bernal, Senior Interior Design Manager at Polestar, who also curates the @polestardesigncommunity Instagram
“It was clear that Polestar, as a new brand with a strong design focus, presents a broad, blank canvas for design exploration. With this contest we officially invite designers to flex their creative muscles with a view to gaining real experience and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in this field.”
Maximilian Missoni comments: “As a designer, I recognise the extremely valuable experience that can be gained by being able to work so closely with a new brand like Polestar – especially since we view this opportunity as a way we can give back to the design community and help up-and-coming designers excel. With this contest we aim to challenge talented designers to push boundaries and think in new directions – much like we do. I look forward to seeing some amazing designs that promote design expression in a new modern landscape.”
Details on the Polestar Design Contest can be found at https://about.polestar.com/polestar-design-contest
1st stage: Contest Start (5 weeks)
- Designs submitted in the form of 2 digital images per entry after this 5-week stage.
2nd stage: Shortlisted Designers
- 10 professional and 10 student designers will be shortlisted by Polestar Design, including design director Maximilian Missoni. They are then developed into digital models.
3rd stage: Finalist Designers
- 5 professional and 5 student designers will be selected as finalists. Each finalist receives further digital modelling support from Polestar Design (or its affiliates) to help attain a consistent level of quality.
4th stage: Winning Designers
- Polestar Design chooses winners from both categories. The two winning designs will be produced as a hard model as centre-pieces for the subsequent Polestar Design Exhibition
Terms and conditions: https://legal.polestar.com/uk/rules-and-conditions-design-contest