Entwürfe für eine bessere Zukunft
The Rimowa Design Prize has awarded its fourth edition to Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler from the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Applied Sciences for their bracelet "Nura," which translates sign language into spoken language and converts speech into written text. Other finalists include Jakob Schlenker's bird-shaped device to encourage movement in the elderly, Niklas Henning's harvesting system for restoring moors, Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer's inflatable cooling capsule for use without electricity, and Valerio Sampognaro's lightweight furniture that can both support and lift off. The exhibition runs until May 13 at the Berlin Kulturforum.
This matters because the Rimowa Design Prize highlights social design—projects that address real-world problems like communication barriers for the deaf, food and medicine cooling in refugee camps, and environmental restoration. By supporting student innovations with a substantial prize, the award encourages young designers to create functional, socially impactful objects rather than purely aesthetic ones, reflecting a growing trend in design education toward solving urgent societal challenges.