Hong Kong Design Centre Unveils 2024 DFA Young Design Talent Award Winners: Celebrating 17 Rising Stars

A total of 17 young and exceptional designers from Hong Kong have been selected by a panel of distinguished judges. Among them, 13 winners will receive financial sponsorships to pursue education or work experiences outside Hong Kong, broadening their horizons and bringing fresh perspectives to our local creative industry. DFA HKYDTA is one of the six DFA Awards programmes organised by HKDC, with The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the Lead Sponsor, and Hong Kong Design Institute and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, School of Design as sponsors.

This year's winners come from a variety of design disciplines, showcasing not only technical expertise but also a commitment to innovation, sustainability, and social impact. The group comprises various design disciplines and contributes uniquely to the creative landscape. Communication designers promote local culture through creative visuals, while environmental designers balance aesthetics and functionality. Fashion & accessory designers reflect contemporary societal values and the youth culture, whereas product & industrial designer emphasises on human-centred approaches and material optimisation. These talented designers have demonstrated exceptional creative approaches, with a strong focus on sustainability, cultural identity, and social cohesion. Their contributions have greatly impressed the judges, who recognise their abilities to drive change in the Hong Kong design industry.

Professor Eric Yim, Chairman of HKDC, commented, "Young designers are the heartbeat of the creative industries, constantly injecting new energy and innovation into the design economy. DFA HKYDTA recognises and nurtures these rising stars, provides them with the chance to engage with the global design community. We believe that their experiences outside Hong Kong will enhance their creative vision and help them build lasting connections that will benefit Hong Kong's design industry in the long run."

The winners will receive their awards at the DFA Awards Presentation Ceremony, which will take place on December 6, 2024. Through the DFA HKYDTA, HKDC reaffirms its commitment to nurture the next generation's design talents and promote Hong Kong's status as a vibrant international design hub.

Established in 2005, the DFA HKYDTA's mission is to nurture and support Hong Kong's emerging design practitioners and encourage the growth of local creative industries. Since its inception, this programme has provided sponsorships for over 140 young Hong Kong design practitioners and design graduates aged between 18 and 35. Each awardee is provided with a sponsorship of up to HK$500,000 to work at a renowned overseas design company for 6 to 12 months or study abroad at a reputable institute for 6 to 18 months.

More details of DFA HKYDTA and the 2024 awardees are available at: https://ydta.dfaawards.com.

DFA HKYDTA Press kit and high-res photos: https://bit.ly/3YTjgnn

Hashtag: #DFAHKYDTA

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About DFA Awards (www.dfaawards.com)

In 2003, the Hong Kong Design Centre launched the DFA Awards to underpin the roles of designers in our society, to celebrate excellent design leadership, exemplary designs and projects with commercial success or impact in Asia. Since 2005, DFA HKYDTA has been recognising young designers in Hong Kong as an emerging force. The DFA Awards, through its six major award programmes, continues to grow its international influence in Asia.

About Hong Kong Design Centre (www.hkdesigncentre.org)

Hong Kong Design Centre is a strategic partner of the Hong Kong SAR Government in developing the city into an East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange while creating value from inspiring designs.

To achieve our goals, we:

• Cultivate a design culture
• Bridge stakeholders to opportunities that unleash the value of design
• Promote excellence in various design disciplines

About CCIDA (https://www.ccidahk.gov.hk/en/index.html)

The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) established in June 2024, formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative industries with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaboration, promoting the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries under the industry-oriented principle, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community to implement Hong Kong's positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

Disclaimer: The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organisers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.