For the first time, the five finalists for the "Newcomer of the Year" award of the German Design Award have been announced. From a total of 187 portfolios submitted by more than 35 universities in the categories of architecture, communication design, digital design, fashion & textile design and product & industrial design, the interdisciplinary jury selected five particularly convincing portfolios. Among them was the portfolio of graduate Amelie Kurz.
Amelie Kurz graduated in 2024 with a Master's degree in "Resource Architecture" from the Faculty of Architecture. In her architectural designs, she focuses on the use of existing resources. She designs future-oriented spaces using resource-conserving concepts that deal with both ecological and social issues. Prof. Christine Remensperger was also struck by her special talent and the very personal style of her expression. In addition to an integrative design project in a historical context, she also accompanied Ms. Kurz's thesis work "Living in community as an approach for sustainable village development - scenario using the example of Müllenbach" and encouraged her to apply for the German Design Award 2025 "Newcomer".
The winner of the "Newcomer of the Year" title, which is endowed with 15,000 euros, will be announced on February 7, 2025 at the award show in Frankfurt am Main. All other finalists will each receive a prize of 2,500 euros. We're keeping our fingers crossed!
To the competition
Great talents need a forum! The Newcomer Award of the German Design Council is a unique award and promotes young designers who draw attention to themselves through exceptional achievements and creative talent.
The finalists of the Newcomer Award 2025 are united by a focus on sustainable, future-oriented approaches and working at the interface of technology, materials research and creativity. Whether through the development of recyclable materials, innovative architectural concepts or the combination of art and digital technologies: The up-and-coming designers* focus on resource-saving solutions and transformative design methods. Their work shows a clear urge to address social and ecological challenges through creative, interdisciplinary projects.
