TOKYO, Japan (April 28, 2021) – Lexus today announced that “Portable Solar Distiller” by Henry Glogau has won the Lexus Design Award 2021 Grand Prix, which drew 2,079 entries from 66 countries.

Chosen as the project that best encompasses “Design for a Better Tomorrow” based on the three key principles of the Lexus brand — Anticipate, Innovate and Captivate — the Portable Solar Distiller provides clean drinking water from polluted water or sea water, using sunlight. Merging local resource production with community architecture, this low-tech solution also serves as a shaded gathering place.

Upon receiving the award, Henry Glogau, said, “It’s a great honor to be selected as this year’s Grand Prix winner, and I’d like to say thank you to the judges. When you look at the level and quality of the finalists and their projects and the progress that has been made throughout, any one of us could have been the winner this year. I’d also like to thank the Mentors – their expertise in a variety of fields really strengthened not only our designs but us also as designers. We as finalists will cherish the thought-provoking questions and conversations we had, and we were so fortunate to experience them. And lastly, a massive thank you to Lexus. Being part of a prestigious award like this with a company that is truly passionate about Design for a Better Tomorrow, and which gives up-and-coming designers a platform and solid foundation to build their design futures on is incredible”.

After selection of the Grand Prix winner, Judge Greg Lynn commented that “Congratulations to the winner and it worked so well and provided mentorship and resources that let great ideas flourish. The winner was one of the designers who surprised me the most from the application to the final submission. The consistent mission of the winner persisted while the transformation in scale and social function was exemplary. The design became more refined, more functional and more open source during the process. The ability to produce working prototypes was important to all the participants but to the winner it pointed towards the manifold potential of the system that became much more than just a product or appliance but instead a portable, deployable infrastructure”.

The six finalists, selected in January of this year, were mentored by Joe Doucet, Sabine Marcelis, Mariam Kamara, and Sputniko!. These four world-class creators guided the finalists in surmounting challenges on　the way to the fully-refined proposals. The mentoring process was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is certain to impact each finalist’s career on the international design stage.

Lexus thanks the mentors, all vastly experienced masters of their fields, for generously sharing their specialized knowledge and encouraging the finalists to bring out the full potential of their ideas.

Lexus also pays tribute to Paola Antonelli, Dong Gong, Greg Lynn and Simon Humphries, the elite panels who judged the entries. Their uncompromising standards and incisive analysis make it possible for the Lexus Design Award to fulfill its mission of supporting the next generation of creators.

All six finalists, including the Grand Prix winner, Henry Glogau, have honored us with their lively curiosity, professional attitude toward their work, and the impressive proposals that their creativity has brought into this world.

For more information, please visit LexusDesignAward.com

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