Architects, interior designers, engineers, electrical contractors, consultants, lighting specialists, students and high school learners - anyone with a passion for design and/or efficient lighting - are invited to enter this competition with prize money totaling R200 000.
Eskom invites and challenges designers to think laterally, beyond convention, use their intuition and imagination and design and build a lamp prototype that not only works, but is useful and also pleasing to the eye. Of major importance, as the name of the competition suggests, is that the design should use an energy efficient light source.
An independent panel of judges with expertise in the field of lighting design and energy efficiency has been announced by Eskom to judge the entries. These judges include Sindile Ngonyama (South African Institute of Architects), Annemarie Meintjes (Visi Magazine), Chris Gryffenberg (Gauteng Department of Education), Pierre van Helden (LED Lighting South Africa), Andrew Wex (Eurolux), Enock Zikalala (Beka) and David Krynauw (previous professional EELDC winner).
In 2012, visually impaired Solomon 'Solly' van Belling of George, representing a community group project of Emmaüs in George, a centre for adults with mental and physical disabilities, was awarded the Most Promising Designer special award with prize money of R10 000.
Van Belling (32) has only five percent sight (and his hearing is also impaired), but his vision and talent to create a winning lamp got him through to the finals. He was the first person with limited sight to take part in the Eskom Energy Efficient Lighting Design Competition.
Made from old tea bags, wire, masking tape, fabric and gold paint, Van Belling’s beautiful tree light is a sight to behold and an asset in any home. The leaves of the tree are made from used tea bags. The bags were dried and, with the assistance of this friends, were carefully cut out and attached to the wire branches.
The theme of this year’s competition is, Celebrate 20 Years of Democracy, and the total prize money of R200 000 is divided between three categories, namely full-time students, professionals and secondary school learners between the ages of 14 and 20 years. In addition to designing and building a working prototype, entrants have to prepare a budget, submit a sketch and photographs for each entry, and also have to comply with strict safety and quality standards.
Criteria
The criteria that will be used by the judges to evaluate the entries are:
- Innovation and uniqueness of design;
- Cost-effectiveness;
- Use of an energy efficient light source;
- Marketing potential;
- Environmental friendliness of the design;
- The extent to which the design is aesthetically pleasing;
- Practical implementation, ie the ease with which the design can be manufactured by local SMMEs (small, medium and micro-enterprises);
- Compliance with the applicable SABS standard;
- Promotion of the concept of energy efficiency;
- The extent to which the design will create jobs;
- Budget.
The competition is organised under the auspices of a steering committee consisting of Latetia Venter (Eskom), Barry Bredenkamp and Lauren Steyn (Sanedi), Elsie Coetzee (NMISA), Enock Zikalala (Beka) and Robert Henderson (Eskom).
Full details are available at www.lighting-design.co.za, or from the competition organisers at (021) 949 7419/083 293 2848 or via e-mail at karin@dalajunction.co.za.
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