Poh Yun Ru’s ‘Rewind’—a tech solution for a social issue —wins 10th edition of the award from among 1,726 entries
Lexus recently announced that “Rewind” by Poh Yun Ru has been selected by the judging panel as the Grand Prix winner of the 2022 LEXUS DESIGN AWARD, the award’s tenth edition that attracted 1,726 entries from 57 countries.
The LEXUS DESIGN AWARD was established in 2013 with the mission of supporting and nurturing creators early in their careers to help shape a better future and create happiness for all through design, while articulating the Lexus brand’s three core principles: Anticipate, Innovate, and Captivate. The Grand Prix winner “Rewind” contributes to a better tomorrow by using technology to help people stimulate their memories when their recall ability is challenged.
The six finalists selected this January spent three months developing their original proposals and creating prototypes under the enthusiastic and highly skilled guidance of Sam Baron, Joe Doucet, Yosuke Hayano and Sabine Marcelis. Mentoring by the world’s leading creators was a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience for these young talents. This process facilitated the impressive evolution of the finalists’ projects, not to mention that of the Grand Prix work, “Rewind.”
Commenting on her win, Poh Yun Ru said: “I feel immensely grateful that Rewind is now a step closer to improving the lives of more people. This couldn’t have happened without the unwavering support of my mentors, my team of dedicated engineers, programmers, healthcare experts, and users. This opportunity from LEXUS DESIGN AWARD to turn a project into a real-world product felt nothing short of amazing, and I feel heartened to have met and learned from so many passionate designers from around the world. It has been such a rewarding and inspiring journey, and I am excited to continue designing for a better world and a better tomorrow for all.”
In a new benefit for 2022, the finalists met one-on-one with the design world’s elite panel of judges Paola Antonelli, Anupama Kundoo, Bruce Mau, and Simon Humphries following the 10th LEXUS DESIGN AWARD event. After the judging session, the finalists received not only direct feedback on their work, but also career advice and tips for improvement. This beta-feature of the 10th anniversary LEXUS DESIGN AWARD turned out to be an extraordinarily valuable experience.
Congratulating Poh Yun Ru’s on her innovative creation, Kei Fujita, Chief Representative of Middle East & Central Asia Representative Office, Toyota Motor Corporation, said: “The Lexus Design Award was created with the aim of fostering the growth of ideas that contribute to society by supporting designers and creators whose works can contribute to a better tomorrow. This year’s winner – Poh Yun Ru’s Rewind– is a work of tremendous imagination and creativity that captures the essence of what the Lexus Design Award stands for.”
Fujita added, “Breaking conventions and going beyond the boundaries of imagination are at the heart of Lexus’ approach to design, and the Lexus Design Award offers us all an opportunity to continue creating amazing new experiences that ignite the emotions. I would like to thank everyone who made this year’s award possible, along with our customers from all across the world who have helped us create amazing experiences along the way.”
The six LEXUS DESIGN AWARD 2022 finalists’ projects will be shown at the Lexus exhibit during Milan Design Week 2022, the world’s largest design event, to be held in June.
