Dezeen promotion: Dezeen has teamed up with Samsung Electronics to launch a competition to design a stand for the brand's new QLED TV.
Samsung's QLED TV, which is available in either a flat or curved version, features a special bracket on the back that allows a variety of interchangeable stands to be attached.
Competition entrants are invited to rethink the dimension and shape of traditional television stands, to create a design that can be attached to this bracket.
Proposed stands can be either freestanding or table-mounted, and the use of innovative materials is encouraged.
"Today, most TV accessories are way too functional and don’t necessarily have visual appeal," said HS Kim, Samsung's president of Visual Display Business. "We need more lifestyle design!"
Samsung has developed a new translucent optical cable, called Invisible Connection. This combines signals from multiple devices to eliminate the tangle of wires usually found behind televisions – meaning the object could potentially be placed anywhere in a room.
The brand wants entrants to consider the potential of this wire when designing their stand.
There is a top prize of €8,000 for the winning design, €3,000 each for the four other finalists and €1,000 for the 10 that make it as far as the shortlist.
On top of this, contestants will have the chance to enter a separate agreement with Samsung over the rights to the design, which will otherwise remain with the designer.
The competition is free to enter, with professional designers, non-designers, students and teams invited to participate. Entrants must be over 18 and able to present their work to a panel of English-speaking judges.
Winners will be selected by a jury consisting of:
› Moon Soo Kim, head of TV sales and marketing team for Samsung, Visual Display Business;
› Yun Je Kang, head of TV design team for Samsung, Visual Display Business;
› David Lowes, SVP and European CMO for Samsung;
› Rima Sabina Aouf, deputy editor of Dezeen.
The finalists will have a mockup of their design produced by Samsung and shown at electronics trade show IFA, in Berlin in September 2017. All five will be asked to travel to Berlin and present their work, before the winner is selected.
Dezeen will also interview the finalists and publish a short movie about each one. Shortlisted designs will also be published.
The competition is launching next week and will run for six weeks. To be notified when we announce more details, sign up to our mailing list below. Look out for the confirmation email in your inbox.