January 13, 2023
Design In the Face of Adversity – SBID Ukraine Student Competition Goes On and Wins
The honor was mine to be asked to support and participate in this year’s SBID Ukraine’s student competition Get Me 2 the Top!
Delayed by last year’s Russian invasion and the subsequent war in progress the SBID Ukraine team worked hard to have students participate, design and submit project entries, then coordinate the submissions and judging which occurred in Ukraine, the UK and with myself the US.
All this despite the dangers and daily uncertainties in the face of the adversity now part of many of their daily lives.
At the bottom are the awards announcements including all the winning entries.
For me in Chicago, beyond the project reviews and scoring with the other judges, this included a 5am recording and 6am sign in to watch the online awards. In the awards presentation the SBID Ukraine leadership, sponsors and judges provided video feedback and words of encouragement, and Vanessa Brady, the Founder and CEO of SBID (Society of British and International Design) announced the winners, so the participants could safely participate without a live event.
This was a great way to honor the students, their love of design and their resolve and tenacity to maintain their freedom and pursue their careers and dreams.
It is also be an example for our worldwide design industry and profession of what is actually possible when passion drives creativity regardless of circumstances.
From the moment I met the leadership of the SBID – Ukraine chapter almost seven years ago, I was beyond impressed by their unabashed entrepreneurial spirit and achievements both as exceptional design talents and business professionals.
We have a great deal to learn from them and also to admire this one small feat in the context of their greater fight for their homeland while NOT overshadowing their design work and talent. Below is the link to the competition categories of which the Landscape Design portion was put on hold due to the continued attacks on Kiev and the project site location.
At the bottom is the complete SBID Ukraine awards video presentation with the commentaries (Vanessa’s and ours in English with subtitles of course):
