The second edition of LG Display and Dezeen's OLEDs Go! design competition seeks creative designs featuring OLED displays that cater to and enrich people's changing lifestyles.

The competition is free to enter for anyone over the age of 18 in any country around the world, with a top prize of €35,000 and total prize money of €88,000.

Brief

Advances in technology and shifting cultural values are altering the way people of all ages across the world live their lives, while the coronavirus pandemic has made many people reevaluate the way they live and work.

We are looking for designs that incorporate small to medium OLED displays (between 27 and 55 inches diagonally) that provide new experiences and enhance people's changing lives.

Entrants are free to design any product for any user or demographic around the world. Designs should aim to improve a lifestyle that is emerging or changing for any reason – we are not exclusively looking for designs that respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

Designs should utilise the key benefits of OLED displays while being feasible to manufacture using LG Display's current technology (see below). Rather than radical, futuristic concepts, we are looking for practical designs that could be developed and produced over the next few years.

OLED technology

OLED, which stands for organic light-emitting diode, is a technology used in lighting and for digital displays on products such as televisions and smartphones.

It is different from other lighting technologies, such as LED, because it creates illumination across a surface rather than from a single point. This results in a glare-free, diffused light source that does not require the addition of a diffuser or reflector.

In displays, OLED pixels are self-illuminating, which means the technology can be used without a backlight. This results in deeper blacks, more accurate colour reproduction and wider viewing angles.

Some of the key attributes of OLED panels include:

• they are extremely light and thin (this is the main benefit of OLED technology)
• they are flexible
• they can be transparent (although it's not currently possible for them to be both flexible and transparent)

Key specifications:

• Size: The competition is for designs that feature OLED panels between 27" and 55" (measured diagonally)
• Thickness: Pure OLED panels can be as thin as 0.7mm, but once the circuitry, power board and a backing material are added, OLED displays tend to be around 4mm thick
• Weight: A 27" OLED display panel will weigh approximately 0.5 kilograms, while a 55" panel will weigh approximately 2 kilograms
• Flexibility: OLED displays can be curved by 1000-500R and rolled up to 30R (where R represents the radius of a circle in mm)
• Find out more about OLED technology at oledspace.com.

Judging criteria

Entries will be judged on how well the design meets the brief, as set out above. In particular, the jury will consider these key criteria:

• Creativity. How original is the design? Does it incorporate OLED technology in a new and creative way?
• Aesthetics. How attractive is the design? Is the product desirable? 
• Functionality. How useful is the design? How does it enhance the user's changing lifestyle?
• Feasibility. How practical is the design? Can it be manufactured using current OLED technology?

Any design that is too similar to an existing product or one of the shortlisted designs from last year's edition of the OLEDs Go! competition will not score highly. You can see last year's shortlist here.

How to enter

Contestants will need to submit their entry via this form and include the following information:

• Name of the design
• A description of the design, including the concept, materials and any relevant features (maximum 300 words)
• A description explaining what changing lifestyle the object has been designed for, including details of the target audience, how the design will enhance their lifestyle and what kind of content they could use the product to display (maximum 300 words).
• An explanation of how and where to sell it, and a proposed retail price in Euros (maximum 300 words)
• A lifestyle image depicting the product in use
• Up to nine supporting images showcasing the design
• (Optional) Video or animation showcasing the design and how it's used

Each submitted image should be a single image, free from any logos or text, unless this is essential for understanding the image. They should be JPGs with a maximum resolution of 300 dpi and a maximum file size of 1 mb 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.

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.

Additional requirements for the top five designs

For any design that is selected as one of the top five, entrants will be required to submit the following additional material:

• Images of a 3D model of the design from four different angles (PDF or JPG)
• 3D model of the design (3DM, OBJ, STEP or X_T)

Entrants do not need to provide this information when submitting their entry. Only selected entrants need to provide the information and entrants will be contacted directly when it is required.

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.

However, as all finalists will be required to submit a 3D model in a 3DM, OBJ, STEP or X_T format, entrants must be able to use and have access to suitable CAD software.

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.

Entrants to last year's competition are free to enter this year's contest as well, including winners, finalists and those that made the shortlist. However, any design that was shortlisted last year cannot be resubmitted or adapted for this year's edition of the competition.

Closing date

All entries must be received by 23:59 GMT on Monday 20 December 2021. Any entries received after this date will not be considered.

The shortlist will be announced and published on Dezeen in March 2022. The finalists will be announced in April 2022 and the winner announced in June 2022.

Winners and prizes

The competition has total prize money of €88,000, which will be divided among the top five finalists.

The winner will receive a top prize of €35,000, the runner up will receive €20,000, third place will win €15,000, fourth place will win €10,000 and fifth place will win €8,000.

Terms and conditions

Full terms and conditions for the competition can be viewed here.

Contact

Any questions about the competition and all press enquiries should be emailed to [email protected].