The Ornamo Award winners 2024 were selected by a multidisciplinary jury
The biennial Ornamo Award highlights the diversity and value of design while demonstrating its societal impact. In 2024, in addition to two main categories, the award will also recognize one thesis in the field of design. Alongside these honors, the jury will grant a special Honorable Mention to one candidate.
The recipients of the Ornamo Award design prize were selected by a jury composed of design professionals and representatives from related fields. The jury included Ornamo Chair and Chief Strategy Officer Katja Soini, alongside Nokia’s Design Director Jonne Harju, Rester’s Director of Partnerships Anna-Kaisa Huttunen, Glass Artist Renata Schirm, Futurist Otto Tähkäpää, and Venture Capitalist Maria Wasastjerna.
Ornamo Award winners are at the forefront of sustainable development
Global environmental challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and the loss of biodiversity, demand innovative thinking and decisive action from both companies and designers. Designers are called upon to create solutions that foster ecological and social sustainability. This requires a shift in mindset, where designers not only react to changes but actively steer them, contributing to the fulfillment of sustainable development goals. In this transition, design methodologies such as circular economy principles and regenerative design are pivotal in tackling these global issues.
Sustainable development is no longer optional; it is a necessity. Sustainable design means that the ecological, social, and economic impacts are considered in the design of products, services, and systems, explains Katja Soini, the chair of the jury.
According to the jury, all the awardees represent innovative approaches, solutions, or products that bring new value and growth to the companies developing and commercializing them. Additionally, the awardees provide solutions that address societal and environmental challenges in alignment with sustainable development goals.
“It is not enough for designers to create aesthetically pleasing and functional products or services; they must also recognize their role as builders of an ecologically and socially sustainable future, whose work has long-lasting impacts on the environment and society.”
as Otto Tähkäpää, Sitra’s foresight expert and jury member, summarizes.
The Ornamo Award winners will be announced on September 10, 2024. The awards ceremony will be celebrated as part of the opening event of Helsinki Design Week.