- SAMPLA and BiaSol announced as winners of the fourth Design & Crafts Council Ireland Irish Business Design Challenge (IBDC), receiving €20,000 each
- Two runners up, Brookfield Farm and BladeBridge receiving €5,000 each
- IBDC 2024 focuses on design solutions to make businesses more sustainable and efficient
- Design & Crafts Council Ireland Irish Design Week 2024 launches in the Royal Irish Academy of Music with over 40 events taking place all over Ireland to celebrate the third year of Irish Design Week
Monday, 11th November: The winners of Design & Crafts Council Ireland’s Irish Business Design Challenge 2024 (IBDC) were announced this afternoon at an awards ceremony in the Royal Irish Academy of Music. The category winners, micro and small respectively, were SAMPLA, a sustainable footwear brand from Waterford and BiaSol, a family-owned food start up from Offaly and they each received a prize of €20,000. Two runners-up, Brookfield Farm (micro), a thriving mixed organic farm in Tipperary and BladeBridge (small), a wind turbine repurposing company from Cork, welcomed prizes of €5,000 each.
The Irish Business Design Challenge awards is the first event taking place in Irish Design Week 2024, a week-long programme of over 40 events nationwide. This year’s Irish Design Week programme, under the theme ‘Imagination for Opportunity’, includes keynote speeches, panel discussions, exhibitions and a series of Design Diplomacy talks, hosted at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (RIAM).
58 businesses from across Ireland entered and eight companies were shortlisted in this year’s awards. Now in its fourth year, IBDC celebrates businesses that add value, repurpose products, develop circular economy strategies, enhance efficiency, and tackle societal and environmental challenges through sustainable design. As well as creating awareness and generating support for the shortlisted businesses, DCCI’s IBDC shines a light on the value that considering design has on overall business strategy. This year’s challenge focuses on companies that have identified pressing challenges or opportunities, using design thinking or circular economy strategies to create sustainable solutions.
The 2024 DCCI Irish Business Design Challenge winning companies are:
Micro category:
Category Winner: Sampla
Runner up: Brookfield Farm
Small category:
Category Winner: BiaSol
Runner-up: BladeBridge
Peter Burke, TD, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, commented on the IBDC Awards: “Programmes like the Irish Business Design Challenge play a crucial role in highlighting the incredible creativity and innovation within Ireland’s small and micro businesses. The past few years have underscored the importance of flexibility and adaptability in business, and this year’s winners truly reflect those qualities. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Design & Crafts Council Ireland for its ongoing dedication to supporting Irish design and sustainability, and to commend all the entrants for proving that small and micro businesses can achieve big things when given the right platform.”
Mary Blanchfield, Interim CEO at Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said: “DCCI is proud to celebrate the incredible achievements of these companies, whose commitment to sustainable and circular design is transforming their businesses. Thanks to this challenge, four companies are receiving funding to deepen their focus on these principles, setting new benchmarks for the industry. This kind of support encourages them to see themselves as the thought leaders and design innovators that they are, and to inspire others on similar journeys. DCCI is delighted to be able to support such admirable ambition and commitment. We are also looking forward to a fantastic week of design with DCCI Irish Design Week taking place through a variety of events right across the country.”
Tom Watts, Head of Design at Design & Crafts Council Ireland, said: “Each of the companies here today demonstrated a profound understanding of how design thinking can enhance business efficiency and create meaningful economic and environmental impact. It’s inspiring to witness the ingenuity and innovation within Ireland’s small and micro businesses, and it reinforces our optimism for the future of both Irish businesses and Irish design. The Irish Business Design Challenge continues to go from strength to strength and this is a testament to the ingenuity of businesses in Ireland and their focus on tackling societal and environmental challenges through sustainable design. “
Commenting, IBDC judge, Claire Downey, said:
“As Policy and Research Director at the Rediscovery Centre, I am thrilled to be judging this year’s Irish Business Design Challenge. This initiative showcases the growing role of circularity in creative design in Irish businesses. It’s inspiring to see such a wide range of high-quality design approaches and impactful solutions, creating positive change for our communities and environment. Through the IBDC, we’re not only recognising excellence but encouraging a shift toward a more sustainable and circular economy across Ireland.”
Supported by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the IBDC awards, which has a prize fund of €50,000, is a competition aimed at micro and small Irish businesses from all sectors. Following an initial shortlisting process by an expert jury, the eight finalists were then evaluated through a combination of public vote and a judging panel including Claire Downey, Policy and Research Director at The Rediscovery Centre and Diana Geraghty, Global ESG Lead at Aer Rianta International. The judges evaluated each entry based on the innovation of products or services born from sustainable developments that encompass environmental quality, economic prosperity, and social equity, with sustainable design at its core.
For further information on the Irish Business Design Challenge, visit https://www.dcci.ie/whats-on/dcci-awards-2024/dcci-irish-business-design-challenge/
ENDS
For more information, please contact Eimear Harding, Communications and Public Affairs Manager, DCCI, 083 023 8743 or email [email protected]
For further press information please contact Claire Feely, Emma Kelly, Laura Daly or Katie O’Reilly at Elevate PR, 01 662 5652 or email [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]
Notes to Editors:
Irish Business Design Challenge
Irish Business Design Challenge is open to all eligible businesses to showcase their commitment to sustainability through innovative design, circular and ethical practices.
About Design & Crafts Council Ireland
Design & Crafts Council Ireland is the national agency for craft and design in Ireland, we support designers and makers to develop their businesses in a sustainable way, and advocate for the societal benefits of craft and design. DCCI’s activities are funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment via Enterprise Ireland. DCCI currently has 64-member organisations and over 3,500 registered clients.
www.dcci.ie @dccireland
