Hublot launches design prize to celebrate a decade of Big Bang

Swiss watchmaker Hublot is recognizing “boldness and creativity” with a design contest as part of the 10^th anniversary of its Big Bang timepiece.

The Hublot Design Prize, launched April 27, will be open to young independent designers, helping them assert their voice and allowing the winner to gain public attention. For Hublot, creating a contest focused on design will enable the brand to mirror its own dedication to ingenuity.

Talent scouts
Deciding the final winner will be a panel of judges comprised of experts across fields of modern design. Head judge Pierre Keller is the former director of the Lausanne University of Art and Design and chairman of the board at the Centre for Contemporary Art in Geneva.

Judges for the Hublot Design Prize, from left: Dr. Peter Zec, Lapo Elkann, Marva Griffin Wilshire, Pierre Keller and Ronan Bouroullec

Joining Mr. Keller are Marva Griffin Wilshire, founder and curator of Salone Satellite and international press director for Salone del Mobile Milan; French industrial designer Ronan Bouroullec; Lapo Elkann, former marketing manager for Fiat Automobiles and current chairman of LA Holding, Italia Independent and Independent Ideas; and founder and president of the Red Dot Design Award professor Dr. Peter Zec.

The panel’s final deliberation will take place in June, with the prize being awarded in October during Tokyo Design Week.

Promotional image for Hublot Design Prize

Hublot's parent company LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton introduced an annual international design competition in 2013 to uncover new talent and assist them in starting their fashion careers, proving the conglomerate’s influential position in the fashion industry.

The prize consists of a grant and a mentorship from an LVMH team for a year to develop the winner’s company. By creating this contest, LVMH is able to show on a global scale that it is foremost in discovering and nurturing creative minds, as well as point to the creativity of its own designers (see story).