Information > Ur Idea, Ur World Competition Winners Announced

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Eco-lighting concept secures top spot at Creative Innovation Awards   Two Product Design students from the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) have taken the top spot in a competition for eco-friendly business ideas, “Ur Idea, Ur World.”   Tomas Griffiths and Satoshi Yanagisawa, who study at UCA’s Farnham campus, took joint first place in the University’s Creative Innovation Awards, and were presented with £1,000 and a Mac Book Pro by fashion designer Karen Millen.   Their idea was for a product that provides illumination in dark environments without using batteries. Tomas said: “Being able to apply my skills in such a great competition gave me confidence, and also provided a unique learning experience.”   The Creative Innovation Awards is now in its fifth year, and aims to encourage UCA students to use their creative and enterprise skills. This year a plethora of ideas were submitted, including alternative energy solutions in housing design, environmentally friendly fashion, and sustainable housing.   UCA alumna Karen Millen, who handed out the prizes, said: “Encouraging the next generation with new eco design is extremely important and I am delighted to see students pushing their creativity and knowledge to a very high level.”   All finalists in the competition will continue to benefit from workshops and mentoring designed to equip them with the confidence and skills needed to take their business idea forward, enter employment or start another venture.   The competition attracted unprecedented support from industry, and was sponsored by the Surrey Economic Partnership, Canterbury City Council, and MEL (Dust & Fume).   For further information on the Creative Innovation Award and how to get involved from this autumn, contact Uwe Derkson on 01252 891134.   Supporters of the Creative Innovation awards included Apple, Sony, Davenport Lyons, Kent Foundation, Red Redemption, Kanoti, HSAG Design, Forum for the Future, Oglivy Action, Business Link, Climate Works, Centre for Sustainable Design, NESTA, Vaudd, Frazer Designers, Keep the Ferret, Ryan Frank Furniture, Tim Oldman Consulting, Sco Consultant, Vertex, Preseli.