Two design students took first prize in the ‘Student Design Awards’, in a category supported by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Maire Kane and Hannah Grogan adopted circular economy principles to design the ‘Personal Patient Pack’, a reusable medical device which stays with patients throughout their treatment journey, eliminating single-use alternatives, and designing out waste by up to 67%.
The pair triumphed in the ‘Circular Emergency’ brief, a category sponsored by Royal Philips, with the support of the Foundation.
Winning the RSA Circular Emergencies Design Award was such a proud moment for us. In our final year, we faced lots of design challenges and as a result of this, we developed our skills in new and exciting directions. We are very grateful to the RSA team for accrediting our work on such a renowned platform. It was also an amazing opportunity to meet all the other talented designers and fellow winners of the RSA competition.
Hannah Grogan, student at the National College of Art and Design, Dublin
The Circular Emergency project challenged entrants to design a product, service or system that uses circular design principles to make emergency medical care more effective.
Each design was judged on a number of different criteria, including the social and environmental benefits, design thinking, and commercial awareness.
With this brief, we really challenged the students, and I am amazed by the quality and quantity of entries. However, I am even more impressed by the creative talent behind the shortlisted ideas. I am sure many designers we interviewed will go on and have a big impact throughout their careers. It’s heart-warming to see so many talents being passionate about the circular economy!
Simon Widmer, Circular Design Lead at the Foundation
The Student Design Awards are the Royal Society of Arts’ (RSA) long-standing competition which celebrates the next generation of design students. Previous winners include the Chief Design Officer of Apple and a Former Head of Innovation at Nike.
