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Leon Williams

Design for our Future Selves awards 2004

Students were given six socially inclusive briefs to choose from this year. These addressed:

• Age: understanding the true spectrum of needs and aspiration of older users
• Work: a more human-centred approach to new ways of working
• Ability: challenging the preconceptions of designing for young disabled people
• Mobility: enhancing mobility for everyone traveling through the built environment
• Communication: highlighting socially invisible groups and issues
• Health: improving health and well-being for people of all ages and abilities

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Jamie Cobb

Nearly 100 students applied to enter from across 11 different RCA departments. These were shortlisted down to 72 projects, described in a special catalogue.

The Awards offered £9,000 in prize money and special awards. These included the Snowdon Award for disability projects, the Helen Hamlyn Award for creativity and innovation and the Mobility Choice Award for innovation in independent mobility.

Six judging panels drawn from designers, users and practitioners from around Europe looked at the shortlisted entries.

The winners were announced at an Award ceremony on Tuesday 29 June 2004 in the RCA's Senior Common Room.