Icelandic Design Awards Winners Announced

The winners of this year’s Icelandic Design Awards have been announced, and this year puts the spotlight on the 1973 volcanic eruption in Heimaey.

The Iceland Design Centre announces that this year’s award goes to Eldheimar, an exhibition in the Westman Islands that tells the tale of the 1973 volcanic eruption in Heimaey, which necessitated the emergency evacuation of all the islands’ inhabitants.

“The exhibition communicates a unique moment in the Icelandic natural history in an extraordinary way, using creative, well implemented and functional solutions with powerful aesthetics to interact with the visitors,” the jury concluded. “The project is exceptionally ambitious. It is also a profoundly important, rare example of a cross-disciplinary collaboration between designers and architects.”

In addition to this year’s winner (and the shortlist), the prosthetics company Össur was awarded for Best Investment in Design.

“With its values, the company has encouraged its staff to constantly strive for progress, break the rules and to take considered risks,” the jury said of the company. “The results speak for themselves. Össur has repeatedly introduced new, revolutionary design that has radically improved the quality of life of its customers.”

This is the second year the awards have been held. Last year, the winner was ‘Austurland: Design From Nowhere’, which explores locally sourced materials and craftsmanship in the East of Iceland.