Dezeen has teamed up with Bentley to run a global design competition inviting architects and designers to define the future of luxury retail.
Through the design contest, Dezeen and Bentley will explore the momentous changes taking place in the luxury industry and seek to discover innovative ideas for both digital and physical luxury retail experiences of the future, in and out of the automotive world.
The competition is free to enter for anyone over the age of 18 in any country around the world, with total prize money of £30,000 for the three best designs.
The competition is open for entries until 7 July 2023. The winners and runners up will be published on Dezeen in August 2023.
Brief
The automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation. Car brands are electrifying their product lines en masse, moving away from the previously ubiquitous internal combustion engine for the first time in over a century. Simultaneously, manufacturers are rethinking the traditional car dealership model, which has been the bedrock of automotive retail for generations.
Other luxury industries are also facing unprecedented change. Increasingly, brands are seeking to diversify their product and service portfolios to reach new customers while redefining the role of their brick-and-mortar stores as those customers increasingly shop online.
At the same time, they are experimenting with pioneering new digital technologies such as Web3, virtual reality and augmented reality, which are blurring the boundaries between the physical and digital worlds.
All the while, the very notion of "luxury" is shifting, with high-end consumers changing their priorities and behaviours as they look to make more sustainable lifestyle choices.
Bentley too is transforming. The brand has committed to electrifying its entire vehicle lineup by 2030 while it simultaneously ventures into other contemporary luxury lifestyle sectors, including furniture and interior design with its Bentley Home range of furnishings and, with the first Bentley Residence set to complete in Miami in 2026, entering the world of architecture and real estate for the first time.
Against this backdrop, Bentley has teamed up with Dezeen to challenge architects and designers to come up with innovative ideas for what luxury retail could look like in 2030 and beyond.
Requirements
Entrants are tasked with designing a luxury retail experience for Bentley in 2030.
This could be an automotive retail experience – or an experience for another sector as the brand pushes into the wider world of contemporary luxury lifestyle.
Contestants are free to imagine any experience they like – real-world, digital, or a hybrid – for any luxury sector: architecture, audio, automotive, fashion, furniture, hospitality, interiors, real estate, speciality travel, wellness or any other luxury product or service that Bentley could expand into in future.
Who can enter
The competition is free to enter for anyone over the age of 18 in any country around the world, regardless of whether they are a professional designer, non-designer or a student.
Entries from individuals or teams will be accepted and entrants may enter more than one design, if they wish. However, entrants will need to fill out and submit a separate entry form for each design they submit.
How to enter
Contestants will need to submit their entry via this form and include the following information:
- Name of their retail experience
- A description of the idea explaining how it meets the brief (maximum 500 words)
- A minimum of five and a maximum of 10 images showcasing the idea
- (Optional) Video or animation showcasing the idea
Each submitted image should be a single image, free from any logos or text. They should be JPGs with a minimum resolution of 72 dpi and a maximum file size of 1MB each.
The optional video or animation should be uploaded to an external hosting platform (such as YouTube or Vimeo) and submitted via a URL.
For teams, one member of the team should submit the entry with the rest of the team credited in the appropriate field on the form.
If an entrant wants to submit multiple entries, they should fill out and submit a separate entry form for each entry.
All entrants must read and agree to be bound by the competition terms and conditions before entering.
Judging criteria
Judges will be looking for original and innovative ideas for the future of luxury retail – whether real-world, digital, or a hybrid – for any luxury sector. Entrants are asked to propose concepts that address the following criteria:
- Experience Provide customers with a rich, fulfilling and innovative luxury retail experience
- Customisation Provide a bespoke and personalised experience for customers
- Sustainability Reduce and ideally eliminate any negative impact on the environment
- Brand alignment Draw from the rich heritage of Bentley's craftsmanship and technological innovation
Judges
Competition entries will be judged by an expert panel of judges. The judges will be announced on Dezeen in the coming weeks.
Closing date
All entries must be received by midnight PT (Pacific Time) on Friday 7 July 2023. Any entries received after this date will not be considered.
The finalists will be announced and published on Dezeen in August 2023.
Prizes
There is £30,000 of prize money available: a top prize of £15,00 for first place, £10,000 for second place and £5,000 for third place.
Terms and conditions
Full terms and conditions for the competition can be viewed here. All entrants must read and agree to the participation terms and conditions before entering.
Contact
Any questions about the competition and all press enquiries should be emailed to [email protected].