ART Dubai Group’s fourth edition of Global Grad Show, which takes place annually during Dubai Design Week, concluded its most extensive programme to date with the announcement of the winner of the coveted Progress Prize. Held in partnership with the Investment Corporation of Dubai for the first time, the exhibition welcomed over 20,000 visitors while the first ‘Belief in AI’ conference hosted 400 people in person as 70,000 people from around the world tuned in to the Facebook live feed.

Of the 150 projects selected from over 1000 entries this year, 11 were shortlisted for the Progress Prize. From hydrating drops for patients with dementia, to a collection of postcards that can grow into trees, the world’s brightest young design minds competed for the coveted annual Progress Prize 2018 at this year’s Global Grad Show in partnership with the Investment Corporation of Dubai. The winner was announced as Twenty, a collection of dehydrated household products designed to reduce unnecessary emissions and waste by eliminating the water content from the product.

The award celebrates the next generation of design talent and recognises the impact that socially and environmentally impactful design can have on the future of humankind. The winning project – designed by Mirjam de Bruijn from Design Academy Eindhoven in The Netherlands - was chosen from 11 finalists including Circleg, Corridor Society, Flare Cycle, From Nowhere With Love, IV-Walk, Jelly Drops, OMN, Opacity, Reheat and stool.D.

Everyday cleaning products containing at least 80 percent water means that four-fifths of the trucks, ships and planes transporting them are effectively transporting water. Twenty proposes to eliminate this waste and radically simplify the production and transportation of household cleaning products. Users simply place a capsule into a bottle, add tap water, and shake. Within seconds, they can produce a cleaning liquid of the same quality and consistency as the average store-bought variety, without the need for fuel intensive, carbon emitting shipping.

Collecting her prize at the awards ceremony, Mirjam said, “I designed Twenty for people like myself who really want to be sustainable but also have busy lives and need products that are simple, economical, easy to use and fit into their lifestyle. I want Twenty to become the new standard and I’m working closely with my university to refine the product while talking to producers and retailers to make sure we adopt the best strategy in taking Twenty to market. Winning the Progress Prize and exhibiting at Global Grad Show has been an amazing experience that I will never forget.”— SG