Design students and recent graduates could showcase their ideas at this year’s Salone del Mobile exhibition in Italy.

Undergraduates and recent graduates in art related subjects could win a trip to Milan courtesy of the German Design Council. The international contest ein&zwanzig (‘21’) targets students and recent graduates of interior design, product design and related subjects.

Twenty-one products and product ideas will be selected during Tortona Design Week in Milan
and their creators awarded prizes. Winners will be supported with an extensive marketing campaign to showcase their creations; financial help towards travel to Italy is also available.

The German Design Council describes itself as an international centre of excellence for design. In a statement, a representative of the Frankfurt-based organisation said: “The ein&zwanzig competition provides design students and graduates with a platform on which to present themselves effectively to the public.

“The high-calibre jury drawn from the fields of economics and design honours those who will be presenting their works in Milan to an international audience. Moreover, winners will benefit from a comprehensive service and support package.”

Entrants must be enrolled on a design-related degree-level course or have finished such studies within the past three years. As well as individuals, groups of up to three people may register, each of whom must meet the entry requirements. Furniture, home accessories, lighting, flooring, wallpaper and textiles can be submitted. Pieces should be under a year old and must not be available on the market. Entries must be made at ein-undzwanzig.com by uploading information about the product and up to three printable images. The deadline for submissions is 3 February.

Winners will be expected to attend the event in person and must be able to supply the organisers with prototypes or 1:1 models of their products from March onwards. Entry is free of charge. Entries will be judged on the overall idea as well as its “autonomy, originality,
conceptual and visionary quality, functionality, quality of use, design and presentation quality.”

A shortlist will be drawn up in mid-February.Twenty entrants will be named ‘Winners’ and one crowned ‘Best of the Best’, and their creators invited to Milan.

The prize-winning works will be exhibited in Milan as part of Tortona Design Week 2017, which will be held from 4 to 9 April. Salone del Mobile itself runs from 1 to 6 April.