The pool of statutory prizes has increased compared to previous years, with brand new special prizes from Electrolux, hansgrohe and nobonobo. However, valuable prizes are still not all there is to gain in the SAW Interior of the Year Competition. The designers from ACOS, MUS ARCHITECTS, NArchitekTURA and NOKE Architects reveal what else the first prize has given them.
The most prestigious competition for interior architects in Poland is clearly growing from edition to edition, and in a very tangible way. Let us recall – as in previous years, a committee composed of representatives of many creative fields will identify the best projects in the field of private interiors and public interiors. The winners of each category will receive cash prizes and promotional activities in the media to a total value of PLN 30,000. Gratification will also go to the second and third place winners. The total value of the statutory prizes alone is as much as PLN 110 000. And entry to the competition is free of charge.
Further gifts, cheques and vouchers
However, as the Association of Interior Designers recognises the importance and need to balance interior design with a rational, economical approach to natural resources, this year sees the debut of an additional competition category: sustainable design. The jury, expanded to include a representative from Electrolux, the patron of this category, will award a cash prize and a voucher for the brand’s products – with a total value of PLN 10,000.
The rain of gifts from the Competition’s patrons also included a product voucher worth PLN 3,000 for solutions from the brand hansgrohe. The leader in bathroom and kitchen innovations creates water- and energy-saving technologies that at the same time provide the ultimate in comfort and pleasure. The winner will receive products that are sustainably manufactured and make innovative use of recycled raw materials. An additional award is an incentive to incorporate such solutions into their designs – advanced, intelligent technologies that are friendly to the planet and our well-being. This is especially true given that the highly regarded designers at Phoenix Design are behind their design.
A separate award was also prepared by Nobonobo, a Polish furniture brand that is becoming more and more widely known around the world. For the winner of the private interiors category, it funded the Flesia coffee table or auxiliary table. The work of Spanish designer Chris Stanfel and the EASD Valencia School of Design won the highly prestigious Iconic Award at Salone del Mobile 2024. The table is all the more valuable because it will be made in a limited collector’s version, the so-called gallery version, and will carry a certificate of originality with the unique number 0003. This means that only 10 customers will receive exactly this version in the model’s entire production history.
Another dimension of awards
Cash and material prizes and specific promotional benefits are still not all that awaits the winners. The winners of the earlier editions of the SAW Interior of the Year Competition – the designers from MUS ARCHITECTS (first prize winners in the private interiors category in the first edition of the competition), ACOS (winners in the same category in the second edition of the competition) and NArchitekTURA (first prize winners for the design of an exhibition in the public utility interiors category in the first edition of the competition) and NOKE Architects (first prize winners for the design of a public utility interior) – are clearly convinced of this.
– Each commission as a separate story inspires us to experiment with spatial, technological and material solutions. We are pleased that the holistic approach to creating sincere, consistently composed living spaces has won recognition not only from clients, but also from professionals,’ notes Anna Stojčev-Młyńska (ACOS).
Justyna Puchalska (NOKE Architects) speaks in a similar vein. – In the design of the food hall in Browary Warszawskie we had to combine the history of the place with the contemporary needs of the users, which required both creativity and great attention to detail. The victory showed us that our interpretation of these assumptions has been recognised and positively evaluated by industry experts ,” he emphasises.
–‘The first statuette of the SAW 2019 Interior of the Year competition is a kind of ‘amulet’ for us, as it started a series of awards and accolades that we received in later years for realisations on a different scale. To have our work recognised by the jury, whose work we know and appreciate, is a great ennoblement for us and a mobilisation for further creative explorations at the interface between architecture and art ,” says Bartosz Haduch (NArchitekTURA).
– We have been appreciated, and this appreciation is lacking on the market, adds Karol Pasternak (NOKE Architects). – ‘I also think that the award we have won has positioned us in the industry as very good designers, secured respect in the community and given us a strong voice, ‘ he continues.
Wider horizon
Taking part in the competition is also an opportunity to gain publicity throughout Poland and even abroad. Numerous publications can translate into new attractive design topics.
– The effects of our daily struggle to achieve the highest possible design quality are only visible to a handful of interested parties. Taking part in the competition changes the situation dramatically, thanks to it our work could be seen by a wide audience – says Adam Zwierzyński (MUS ARCHITECTS).
– The award was also an important support in building the strength and recognition of our brand. It helped us to reach a wider range of potential clients, i.e. people with a specific taste, interested in the kind of solutions we are trying to realise,” adds Anna Porębska (MUS ARCHITECTS).
– ‘Since winning the award, we have had enquiries from food hall operators from Poland and around the world, mainly Germany. We have not signed any new contracts of this type; we are waiting for a client willing to go beyond the usual schemes. Instead, we have managed to enter the restaurant design market strongly ,” admits Karol Pasternak (NOKE Architects).
For themselves and the industry as a whole
The winners list many more reasons for submitting a competition entry.
– For us, the award was a very nice summary of an extremely difficult project,’ Karol Pasternak points out. – Most importantly, it was a team project and the joy of the award was also team-based,’ he emphasises. Indeed, on stage the studio presented itself as a full team. And since we are talking about interpersonal relations, it is worth adding that the gala summing up each edition of the competition is an opportunity to meet in a wide circle of interior designers from all over Poland, exchange experiences and make contacts.
When thanking NOKE Architects for the statuette, Karol Pasternak also emphasised the advantages of SAW’s cooperation with sponsors, thanks to which participation in the competition is free of charge and is not bound by any requirements, such as the use of specific products – as is the case in many other architectural competitions around the world.
– Having previously worked abroad, we have only been active in Poland for a few years. Thanks to this, we can clearly see that the organisation of the competition stands at a really high level. This is worth appreciating, just like other efforts of SAW to build up a proper position of interior architects in relations with investors – adds Stanisław Młyński from ACOS studio.
Deadline for submissions: end of October
Electronic submission of entries lasts until 31 October 2024. In November, the jury will deliberate, selecting the winners of the first stage and inviting them to submit their competition boards – until 14 February 2025. On this basis, the winners will then be selected. They will be announced at a gala event in April 2025.
The competition rules and all organisational information can be found at www.saw.org.pl/konkurs.
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