BraunPrizeBlog

I’m just about to shut down the computer and leave for meeting the BraunPrize 2009 jury tonight! We will meet for a dinner tonight and I will participate in the final jury evaluation tomorrow.

At the end of this first jury session about 40–60 entries will be selected for the second stage that will take place in June 2009. For sure I will report from this event as well. For more information on the jury process timeline you might also want to have a look here.

Similar to my BraunPrize activities in 2007 at the end of the first round I am conducting interviews with the ‘external’ BraunPrize jury members: Anna Kirah (Norway), Kazo Tanaka (Japan) and Florian Seiffert (Germany).

For your convenience I’d thought that I share some details on the BraunPrize 2009 jury members with you. So here we go:

• Anna Kirah, Design Anthropologist, Norway:
  Until recently, Kirah was dean and faculty member of 180º Academy, an international school for radical innovation in Denmark. Prior to that, she served as the Senior Design Anthropologist for the Microsoft Corporation. Kirah’s primary focus is on people-centered concept making. She holds a graduate degree in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Oslo, Norway and a graduate degree in Psychology from the University of Washington. Kirah now consults in product and service design as well as leadership training as it pertains to the design mindset.

• Kazuo Tanaka, President, GK Design Group Inc., Tokyo, Japan:
  Kazuo Tanaka graduated in 1981 from the School of Design of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He completed his postgraduate master course at the Design School of the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He is a Board Member of the ICSID and visiting lecturer at the School of Design of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He has participated as a jury member of different international design awards and won some of them himself.

• Florian Seiffert, Professor for Product Design, Fachhochschule Mainz and first BraunPrize Winner 1968:
  Florian Seiffert studied Product Design at the Gesamthochschule Essen. He won the first BraunPrize in 1968 and started his career as Product Designer at the Braun AG in Kronberg. Since 1972 he has been working as a freelance designer and is running a design studio in Wiesbaden. He held a teaching position at the Fachhochschule Pforzheim, Germany and since 1987 he has been lecturer for Product Design at the Fachhochschule Mainz and visiting Professor at the ISIA in Rom, Italy.

• Peter Schneider, Director Corporate Design (retired), Braun:
  Peter Schneider studied Industrial Design at the Folkwang Design School in Essen and, in 1972, was the BraunPrize winner with his team. He joined the Braun Design Department four months later in autumn 1973. Since 1995 he has held the position of Director Corporate Design. Peter Schneider was an assistant to the jury of the BraunPrize 1986 and 1989 and a member of the jury in 1992 and 1995. He has been the chairman of the jury and responsible for the BraunPrize since 1999.  

• Rainer Silbernagel, Director Engineering and Quality Institute Kronberg, Kronberg Technical Center:
  Rainer Silbernagel studied Microtechnology, Technical Optics, Electronics and Medical Technology and has been employed at Braun since 1988. He held several positions relating to new product innovation in Research & Development, Engineering, Program Management, Quality. He had been Project Manager of the BraunPrize in 1999 and member of the jury in 2001 and 2003. After a 2 1/2 year assignment with Duracell in Bethel/CT (USA), he has been back at Kronberg Headquarters since August 2007.

So stay tuned and watch this blog for any updates while attending the final jury discussion!