Promotion: Copenhagen-based brand Muuto has announced the Muuto Design Contest, a free-to-enter competition seeking exceptional ideas for small furniture and accessories.
The Muuto Design Contest is open to anyone with a formal background in design or a related field.
Muuto is looking for fresh ideas for creating small furniture pieces and accessories, from stools and vases to coat stands and rugs.
The company said the competition was a "unique opportunity to shape new modern home accessories", adding that it wanted "to find and promote talented individuals with a forward-thinking and mindful approach".
"Part of Muuto's DNA is searching for new perspectives, and we want to challenge ourselves and collaborate with creative minds from around the globe," said Muuto CMO Line Brockmann Juhl.
"The Muuto Design Contest provides a platform for designers to showcase a diverse range of creations and ideas, simultaneously bringing a whole new outlook for our brand," she added.
Rooted in the "enduring aesthetics and functionality" of the Scandinavian design tradition, Muuto has a reputation for understated yet distinctive products.
"The brand is on the hunt for design proposals in line with this style," according to Juhl. "A great accessory design complements the atmosphere of a room: functional yet sculptural."
An external jury of three practitioners and Muuto collaborators with decades of experience between them has been assembled for the competition – Ivy Ross, Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer and Jamie Wolfond.
American designer Ross is the vice president of design for hardware products at Google. She will be joined by Akvama Hoffmeyer, who is the founder of Copenhagen-based surfaces brand File Under Pop, which was longlisted for a 2021 Dezeen Award.
Toronto-based Wolfond is the third juror and founder of his eponymous practice, Jamie Wolfond Studio. The designer recently created the Set lamp – his first piece for Muuto.
"Together, they form a diverse perspective on the intrinsic possibilities within design," said Juhl, referring to the jury.
Entrants should submit their proposals by 12 October 2024. The finalists will be contacted in November 2024, after which the production process will begin.
The final showpieces will be presented at the Copenhagen festival 3 Days of Design in June 2025.
As well as the opportunity to exhibit during the festival, the first prize-winner will qualify for the chance to complete a limited or extended production opportunity with Muuto. The brand has a history of collaborating with international designers.
The brand will bear all costs associated with producing the showpieces. Muuto is not accepting submissions that fall under the lighting category.
For more information on Muuto, visit its website here.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Muuto as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.