HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 30October 2020 - DFA Awards 2020 is pleased to announce its recipients for theyear of 2020. Three design trendsettershave been recognised under the three individual awards, namely the DFA Lifetime Achievement Award (DFALAA), the DFA Design Leadership Award (DFADLA), and the DFA World's OutstandingChinese Designer (DFA WOCD). In addition, 197 design projects have been recognised under the DFA Design for Asia Awards (DFA DFAA),and 16 young Hong Kong designers underthe DFA Hong Kong Young Design TalentAward (DFA HKYDTA).

Organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) withCreate Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative RegionGovernment as the lead sponsor, the DFA Awards aims to reinforcing theimportance of designers within society. The awards also celebrates designleadership as well as exemplary designs and projects with Asia perspectivestowards the globe, and since 2005 it has recognised the rising force ofemerging Hong Kong designers.

Commenting on this year's awards, Professor Eric C.Yim, JP, Chairman of the HKDC, said, "This year, we have found ourselves in aworld facing global challenges that demand a unified global response. We at theHong Kong Design Centre believe that design can provide a way of helping theworld to navigate through the storms and better adapt to the new normal. Thisyear's awardees are all influencers in the design community. They haveinnovated to create humane designs that are able to solve problems, enhance ourlives, connect our communities and sustain our cultures."

DFA Awards 2020 Press Kit +High Res photos: https://www.hkdc.hk/download/awards/DFAAWARDS2020_PRESSKIT.zip

In awarding the DFA Awards' highest and mostprestigious design honours for the year, the judging panel recognised theextraordinary contributions to the design community of three design trendsetters:

DFA Lifetime Achievement Award 2020 (DFA LAA)

Tim BROWN

Executive Chair, IDEO

TheDFA LAA signifies the high respect of the design community for individuals whohave made life-long contributions to the field. Tim Brown championed a designled, human-centered approach and has helped to shape the face of contemporarydesign, creating a legacy that is acclaimed by design professionals across theworld.

DFA Design Leadership Award 2020 (DFA DLA)

Frank WANG

CEO and Founder, DJI

The DFA DLA recognises global business leaders who usestrategic and innovative design to create successful and sustainablebusinesses. This year's recipient is Frank Wang, founder of DJI, aworld-leading manufacturer of civilian drone. He has successfully demonstratedthe important relationship between strong corporate leadership and designexcellence in his business.

DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer 2020 (DFA WOCD)

Stanley WONG (anothermountainman)

Founder & Creative Director,

84000 Communications

TheDFA WOCD honours Chinese designers who have made outstanding designachievements and won international recognition for their work. The winner,Stanley Wong, is responsible for creating numerous impressive communicationdesigns drawing on Hong Kong culture, and is devoted to promoting designthrough educational, institutional and social involvement. Having joined theprestigious Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) since 2004, he is awell-respected member of the international graphic design community andundoubtedly an important role model for young designers in Hong Kong andoverseas alike.

(Please refer to Appendix 1 for detailed biographiesof the winners.)

Recognitionof exceptional designs: DFA Design for Asia Awards

Being a part of the flagship programme of the HKDC, the DFA Design for Asia Awards continues to acknowledgeoutstanding design projects that embody Asian aesthetics and culture, and thathave inspired wider Asian design trends. This year, DFA DFAA received more than1,000 entries from 20 economies by open entry. A total of 197 awardees wererecognised, including 12 Grand Awards, 8 Grand Award with Special Mention and177 category awards. These awards covered projects and practitioners from 23categories in four major design disciplines: Apparel & Accessory Design,Communication Design, Environmental Design, and Product & IndustrialDesign. (Please refer to Appendix 2 for the complete list of winners.)

2020 is a year full of trials and the world is readyfor some changes. In response to the unusual circumstances this year,innovative ideas have emerged for rebuilding people's relationship with thenatural world, connecting the community, and fostering cultural sustainability.Some of the awarded projects promote the reconnection with nature through communicationand environmental designs. Some stay on track with design thinking, providingdesigns and solutions for social problems, medical needs, industrial needs andmore. Some praise the uniqueness of cultures and try to remind people theimportance of cultural conservation through cross-media presentations. This year'sawardees come from professional designing firms all around the world withprojects in Asia. Japan was the biggest winner by economy, taking away 61awards, followed by Mainland China and Hong Kong with 48 and 21 awardsrespectively. Other winning company locations included Denmark, Korea,Lithuania, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the Netherlands, the United ArabEmirates and more.

Fosteringyoung creative talent: DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award

Since 2005, the DFA Hong Kong Young Design TalentAward has nurtured the development of emerging Hong Kong designers by providingthem with valuable opportunities to gain overseas experience. The 16 awardeesfor 2020 are all Hong Kong design practitioners orgraduates of 35 years old or under who have made refreshing contributions toHong Kong's creative industries across a range of disciplines. The awarded appareland accessory designers are the emerging new players on the global stage whobring in insights from overseas to Hong Kong's fashion industry. Communication designerscreate works with in-depth exploration on typography, visual identity, graphicdesigns, and also new design concepts such as story design, that havecontributed to the society and the commercial world. Environmental designershave clear visions on achieving environmental sustainability, engaging socialinvolvement on architectural projects, sustaining traditional cultures andvalues through innovative design ideas.

This year, 13 of them will receive afinancial sponsorship amount up to HK$5,000,000 in total toundertake 6 to 12-month work experiences or 6 to 18-month study experiencesabroad. Sponsored by CreateHK, the Hong Kong Design Institute and theSchool of Design of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, these young designerswill have the opportunity to gain unique experience at world-renowned designfirms or institutions. Over the years, the DFA HKYDTA has provided sponsorshipsto over 100 young talents, helping them to gain insights into the global designindustry and return to Hong Kong as experienced design leaders for the city'screative businesses. (Please refer to Appendix 3 for the list of winners.)

About DFA Awards (www.dfaawards.com)

In 2003, theHong Kong Design Centre has launched the DFAAwards to underpin the role of designers in society, to celebrate designleadership and exemplary designs and projects with commercial success or impactin Asia, as well as to recognise the rising force of emerging Hong Kong designerssince 2005. The DFA Awards, through its five major award programmes, has grownin its international influence in Asia. The five award programmes include DFALifetime Achievement Award, DFA Design Leadership Award, DFA World'sOutstanding Chinese Designer, DFA Design for Asia Awards and DFA Hong KongYoung Design Talent Award.

About Hong Kong Design Centre (www.hkdesigncentre.org)

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) is anon-governmental organisation, and was founded in 2001 as a strategic partnerof the HKSAR Government in establishing Hong Kong as an international centre ofdesign excellence in Asia. Our public mission is to promote wider and strategicuse of design and design thinking to create business value and improve societalwell-being, with the aim of advancing Hong Kong as an international designcentre in Asia.

HKDC'sflagship programmes include Business of Design Week (BODW; since 2002) -- Asia'sleading annual event on design, innovation and brands; DFA Awards (since 2003)-- a well-recognised annual awards that celebrate outstanding designs with Asianperspectives; and Knowledge of Design Week (KODW; since 2006) -- an annual thematicprogramme that gathers the global design community to explore how design cansolve complex challenges of our society.

We also managea Design Incubation Programme and Fashion Incubation Programme (since 2012 and2016) -- 2-year programmes to nurture future design and fashion entrepreneurs;and launched FASHION ASIA HONG KONG (since 2016) -- an initiative combiningconversations, interactions and cultural exchanges to position the city as anAsian hub for fashion trade and business development.

About CreateHong Kong (www.createhk.gov.hk)
Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is adedicated agency set up by the HKSAR Government in June 2009. It is under theCommunications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and EconomicDevelopment Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creativeindustries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent andfacilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia'screative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. CreateHKsponsors the DFA Design for Asia Awards since 2011 and the flagship programmesorganised by Hong Kong Design Centre, among other projects to promote Hong Kongdesign.

Disclaimer: The Government of the HongKong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the projectonly, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings,conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or bymembers of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and donot reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special AdministrativeRegion, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce andEconomic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart InitiativeSecretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.