Winner announced: SIA Chair

Congratulations Tom Fereday, who has designed a slim dining chair with an adjustable backrest.

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Winner announced:
SIA Chair

Tom Fereday Wins the 2017 Mercedes-Benz Design Award

Selected from a field of four finalists, Sydney-based designer Tom Fereday has won the 2017 Mercedes-Benz Design Award for his sleek chair design, SIA.

Fereday was announced the winner at the recently opened Mercedes me store in Melbourne on December 13.

“We loved the combination of solid timber and a metal-framed chair, and the beautiful brass component in the back that gives it adjustability when you sit on it” says Richard Munao, CEO and founder of Cult Design, one of Australia’s leading high-end furniture retailers.

Fereday will now work with Cult Design to develop his design from the prototype stage through to production. The finished product will then be added to the Cult Design range and offered for sale in early 2018.

Fereday will also be flown to the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart, Germany, as part of his prize.

Register your interest in the SIA Chair here to receive product updates, including release dates.

The Brief

We’re looking for something that enhances the dining space – either indoors or outdoors. Designs for any category are welcome, be it furniture, lighting, crockery, utensils or wall-hangings. The Mercedes-Benz Design Award is a platform to realise a great design concept and see it through to completion.

Judging Criteria

The judging panel will consist of the four design mentors and Broadsheet founder Nick Shelton. Judges will appraise entries on the following criteria:

It should be an innovative, creative design and a feasible concept.
The design should demonstrate both form and function.
It must be aesthetically beautiful and serve its purpose as a durable, long-lasting piece.
It should engage with its surroundings and add value to the dining experience.
It should address a particular need in this area.
The design must be able to be prototyped in four weeks.
The end product must retail for no more than $2000.

The Award

The winning design will be prototyped, manufactured and sold by design retailer Cult Design and added to the Cult Design range.
During the prototyping and testing phase, the winner will receive mentorship from design leaders Richard Munao from Cult Design, industrial designer Adam Goodrum, interior architect George Livissianis and Mercedes-Benz product manager André Dutkowski.
The winner will receive a trip for two to Germany where they will visit the Mercedes-Benz Design Museum.

Mentors

André Dutkowski is the senior manager for product management and strategy at Mercedes-Benz Cars, based in Melbourne.

André Dutkowski
Mercedes-Benz

André Dutkowski is the senior manager for product management and strategy at Mercedes-Benz Cars, based in Melbourne.

Richard Munao is the founder and director of Sydney-based design retailer Cult Design, which now has outlets and distributors across Australia and New Zealand.

Richard Munao
Cult Design Founder

Richard Munao is the founder and director of Sydney-based design retailer Cult Design, which now has outlets and distributors across Australia and New Zealand.

Adam Goodrum is a Sydney-based industrial designer who specialises in furniture, product and interior design.

Adam Goodrum
Industrial Designer

Adam Goodrum is a Sydney-based industrial designer who specialises in furniture, product and interior design.

George Livissianis is a Sydney-based interior architect responsible for some of Sydney’s best restaurants, including The Apollo and Long Grain.

George Livissianis
Interior Architect

George Livissianis is a Sydney-based interior architect responsible for some of Sydney’s best restaurants, including The Apollo and Long Grain.

Your Design, Realised with Cult Design

Established in 1997 by company founder and director Richard Munao, Cult Design provides exceptional designer furniture in the Australian marketplace, with one of the most comprehensive collections of brand partners in Australia and New Zealand. Munao has long been a champion of local design and is actively involved in discovering and mentoring emerging design talent.

Cult Design

How to Enter

Enter the Mercedes-Benz Design Award by submitting a clearly annotated drawing, sketch, 3D rendering or other visual representation of your design, along with a 100-word description.
Entries must be submitted digitally in a file no larger than 5MB and no longer than three pages.
Entries closed, finalists announced November.

Enter Now

A look back at the Mercedes-Benz Design Award 2016.

Tim Fisher (Broadsheet), Adele Winteridge, Gordon Tait (Tait), Nancy Ji, Emma Longden (Mercedes-Benz) and Marcus Piper

The Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupé outside the award presentation at Tait

The Mercedes-Benz Design Award trophy

2016 Mercedes-Benz Design Award winner Nancy Ji

The Lily Tray Table, winning design of the 2016 Mercedes-Benz Design Award