Glass designers called to compete

Emerging design talents who work with glass are being invited to the last call for entries for the inaugural ‘newcomer’ award from the Bombay Sapphire Foundation, worth a total of £5,000., The cash prize will be scooped by the professional who can convince a panel of design heavyweights that they are the most promising newcomer in the field of innovative glass design. , The award, which is open to new designers, architects and artists, accompanies the £20,000 annual prize on offer to the professional whose contribution to glass design has been exemplary., In its fifth year, the Foundation said the award has already spotlighted some of the world’s most talented artists, including Barber Osgerby, Paul Cocksedge, and Ross Lovegrove among others., Another previous winner, Thomas Heatherwick, will be judging both categories of entry, alongside industry heavyweights including Ron Arad, Tom Dixon, Nicole Farhi and Nadja Swarovski., Commenting on this year’s prize, Ron Arad said: “The big problem with glass is that it is such a seductive material, beautiful before you do anything with it, which makes it even more of a challenge for artists and designers to come up with really and truly extraordinary and outstanding work. The Bombay Sapphire Prize rewards those who rise to this challenge.”, The finalists short-listed for the Prize will be showcased in the Bombay Sapphire Glass House exhibition which will open at the London Design Festival in September., The winner of the Bombay Sapphire Prize 2006 will be announced at an awards ceremony in London in October., International artists, designers and architects who would like to enter their work have until June 16 to send in their entries., Those interested should contact the Bombay Sapphire Foundation on +44 (0)20 7224 1020 or email foundation@bombaysapphire.org. Further details can be found at the competition website.