The organizers of imm cologne firmly believe in the creative potential of emerging talent and are therefore launching the 18th edition of the Pure Talents Contest. The competition offers young designers more opportunities to win than ever before with the inclusion of a dedicated LivingKitchen Selection to mark the biannual kitchen event and the Audience Prize. To ensure that all the entrants are granted equal opportunities in the current coronavirus outbreak, more stages in the competition will be hosted on digital channels than in previous years.

The Pure Talents Contest special exhibition at imm cologne is the place to find original furniture concepts and ideas for more sustainable products but also unusual designs for everyday objects that prompt visitors to reflect on their daily routines. The next generation of designers will present prototypes that offer something visually and functionally new and showcase them to the interior design scene. The Pure Talents Contest sees tables reinvented, furniture designed for ease of transport, and lamps created from paper – beautiful, intelligent and experimental objects for our homes and lives.

Despite all of the current challenges, the Interior Business Event imm cologne is hosting the popular contest for up-and-coming designers once again at the edition of the fair in January 2021. The design contest is one of the most prestigious competitions for young creative talent in the world. Over the past seventeen years, a total of 476 products by 526 designers from all over the world have been presented at imm cologne as part of the contest exhibition. Many of these products have found their way into the collections of well-known manufacturers. Design students from all over the world and design graduates from any country who received their degree no more than three years ago can now enter the Pure Talents Contest 2021.

Each year the contest jury is formed of different representatives from the international design scene, the trade press, institutions and manufacturers. This year it includes the designers Ana Relvão (Relvãokellermann, Munich) and Sebastian Herkner (Studio Sebastian Herkner, Offenbach), the design journalist Johannes Hünig and Thonet’s Creative Director, Norbert Ruf.

The jury will choose the four best designs from the exhibited products on the first day of the trade fair. They will select the first-, second- and third-prize winners – who will receive Euro 3,000.00, 2,000.00 and 1,000.00 respectively – as well as the winner of the LivingKitchen Selection, who will receive Euro 3,000.00 in prize money. The Audience Prize, which debuted successfully last year, will also be awarded again. The public will vote on the social media platform Instagram, and the winner chosen will take home Euro 1,000.00 in prize money.

Entering the contest and appearing in the Pure Talents Contest special exhibition for those nominated is free of charge for the designers.