Applications for the Bolia Design Awards 2023 have just opened. As every year, three prizes will be awarded, in line with the publisher’s assertive New Scandinavian Design positioning. Registration is open until May 1, 2023.
Since 2005, Lars Lyse Hansen is CEO of Bolia, a Danish brand founded in 2000. He changed the company’s strategy by developing an editorial vision, called New Scandinavian Design. Created in 2007, the Bolia Design Awards are significant pillars of this positioning. The awards recognize new design talent, valuing a creative approach and a sustainable approach to the design process. Candidates can propose up to three different projects, in the form of drawings, sketches, 3D models… “In 2006, we were just a company that sold furniture online, employing barely 10 people. We decided to grow and bring new eyes to Scandinavian design by attracting the younger generation and its new talents. Today, about 50 designers, mostly from Denmark, work with us. And about twenty integrated designers ensure the feasibility of the projects. During the 3daysofdesign in Copenhagen, we highlighted this fluidity of creativity.”
An internationally recognized brand
Bolia offers two collections per year, a huge challenge to supply 78 stores worldwide, in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, France and Luxembourg and works with 600 retailers in over 50 countries. Once designed, the product has barely 18 months to be born but 35 factories in Europe ensure the development of the prototypes. The marketing department is in charge of passing them through the Veritas office, which validates their saleability all over the world, through showrooms like those in Paris, Boulevard Saint-Germain or Boulevard Sébastopol. “Our collections are popular but of high quality. In one year, we produce four new sofas thanks to five factories that ensure the production of 1000 sofas per week. The Northampton offers 3 seats and a very user-friendly ottoman in reasonable, adjustable sizes. The Hilton barely stands out and a spring collection is scheduled for March.”
Three prizes awarded at each edition
There are three prizes: a first prize worth €7,000, a public prize of €3,500 from among eight finalists chosen by the public, and the circularity prize, which awards €3,500 to a design that stands out for its sustainable and circular approach. The three winners will be announced in June in Copenhagen during 3daysofdesign. In 2022, the first prize was awarded to Ségolène Pla-Busiris for the Fragment side table, the public prize was given to Sara Ullvetter Norman for the Dune chair, while the circularity prize was awarded to the duo Fischer&Mordrelle for the Moon stool.
Bénédicte Duhalde
