10th Adobe Design Achievement Awards

- winners announced

Adobe has announced the winners of its 10th annual Adobe Design Achievement Awards (ADAA), a global competition celebrating student achievements that bring technology and the creative arts together. The awards honour the most talented and promising student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers, developers and computer artists from the world’s top higher education institutions.



WHAT MAKES YOUR DAY? by Napatsawan Chirayukool, Kingston University

Among the winners, which were recognised in 12 categories across Interactive Media, Film and Motion and Traditional Media, was a UK entry in the Animation category which was won by Napatsawan Chirayukool of Kingston University.

Napatsawan’s submission, What Makes Your Day?, is themed around the ‘little pieces of happiness’ that make someone’s day, the end result being a two minute film made up of a series of interviews with people from different walks of life who are depicted as rabbits, the year Napatsawan was born in the Chinese Horoscope.


WHAT MAKES YOUR DAY? by Napatsawan Chirayukool, Kingston University

Napatsawan was up against fellow UK finalists Joseph Tate and David Prosser from the Royal College of Art in the Animation category for their piece Matter Fisher. David himself was a winner in this category at last year’s Awards. Whilst another Royal College of Art student, Liron Kroll, was named a finalist in the Photography category for The Easter Parade, his composition of ten fictional photographs inspired by Richard Yates’ novel of the same name.



MONYO+MOJI by Chiharu Tanaka, Academy of Art University

Winners this year were selected by a global panel of industry judges based on originality, effectiveness in meeting the communication objectives outlined for each submission category, and contestant(s) skills in applying Adobe products.



to wait and see by Natalia Luzenko, Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt

World Championship 2010 by Soonkyu Jang, Dankook University

“The Adobe Design Achievement Award competition attracts the best student designers in the world. We feel fortunate to be able to shine a light on these future creative leaders,” said Ann Lewnes, senior vice president of corporate marketing at Adobe.

For the second consecutive year, Adobe has collaborated with Icograda, International Council of Graphic Design Associations, to attract student submissions from the Icograda Education Network, and select an international panel of design experts to judge the awards. 



MONYO+MOJI by Chiharu Tanaka, Academy of Art University

Winners were recognised in 12 categories across Interactive Media, Film and Motion and Traditional Media:

• Browser-Based Design—Tiago Cabaco, “Case Study: Kalvika”, Academy of Art University, United States
• Non-Browser Based Design—Anthony Mattox,”Pulsus”, Maryland Institute College of Art, United States
• Application Development—Andrew Mahon and Zeke Shore,”VoxPop”, Parsons The New School for Design, United States
• Mobile Design—Laura Bordin,”Heart Lift”, IUAV University of Venice, Italy
• Installation Design—a team led by Marco Werner, “Buchmesse 2009,” Dortmund University of Applied Science, Germany
• Animation—Napatsawan Chirayukool, “What Makes Your Day?”, Kingston University, United Kingdom
• Live Action—Victor Aloji for his “Ad Against Child Sexual Abuse“, Hamburger Technische Kunstschule, Germany
• Motion Graphics—Edeline Bernal, “29“, York University/Sheridan College, Canada
• Illustration—Soonkyu Jang, “World Championship 2010”, Dankook, Korea
• Packaging—Linna Xu, “Ilford Film”, York University/Sheridan College, Canada
• Photography—Natalia Luzenko, “To Wait and See”, Fachhochschule Wuerzburg-Schweinfurt, Germany
• Print Communications— Chiharu Tanaka, “MONYO+MOJI”, Academy of Art University, Japan

to wait and see by Natalia Luzenko, Fachhochschule Würzburg-Schweinfurt

“The students have done things that are so fresh and innovative because they are pushing the technology and the software is allowing them to do things they couldn’t have done before,” said judge Meg Barbour, principal at The Barbour Shop.


“It’s very important for design education to be engaged and involved in producing the kind of graduates who are going to change perceptions within the design industry – ones who will rock boats, rather than row boats and those who will continue to move the industry forward,” said judge Lawrence Zeegen, head of school of communication design, Kingston University.



Ilford Film packaging by Linna Xu York University/Sheridan College

All individual and leaders of the group category winners received a US$3,000 cash prize, a winner’s certificate, a 3D award, a copy of Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection software (individual winner) or his/her choice of either Creative Suite 5 Design Premium, Creative Suite 5 Web Premium or Creative Suite 5 Production Premium education version software (group winner). Individual winners and team captains will also receive a one-year mentorship with a design leader from the Icograda network and may be appointed to the Icograda Youth Advisory Panel.



Ilford Film packaging by Linna Xu York University/Sheridan College

Since the ADAAs began in 2001, close to 20,000 students across 52 countries have participated in this competition. Entries from this year’s finalists can be viewed at ADAA Gallery,along with those who have placed and won over the previous nine years.

MONYO+MOJI by Chiharu Tanaka, Academy of Art University