By Martin Vedris

SYDNEY: In launching the third annual 2008 Breville Young Designer Award, Breville has challenged designers to design environmentally friendly kitchen appliances that cover all ecological impacts of the product, including manufacturing.

The 2008 Breville Young Designer Awards are open to final year industrial design university students and the winner will receive the coveted John O’Brien Scholarship, which includes a 12 month work placement alongside Breville’s award-winning international Design team.

“The Breville Young Designer Awards was created to discover and foster the careers of Australia’s most talented young designers; as well as to recognise the late John O’Brien, founder of Breville R&D,” said Breville’s director of design and innovation, Richard Hoare.

This students are required to design an environmentally friendly kitchen appliance or accessory that considers product life cycle, material choice and impact, product efficiency, manufacturing impact, assembly and disassembly.

“Considering the importance of the environment and our effect on our surroundings, our brief this year encourages students to explore sustainable product design which allows consumers to lower their impact on our world.”

Three of the most innovative entries from across Australia will be chosen as finalists and flown to Sydney to present their product to a judging panel of Breville’s in-house experts. The winner of the John O’Brien Scholarship will then be declared at a celebratory dinner.

“Each year the Breville Young Designer Awards has grown with great momentum, with several of Australia’s top-tier design universities now including it within their final year curriculum activities,” said Hoare.

“We are eager to see how this year’s entrants respond to our eco-challenge and look forward to the prospect of working with the winner.”

Entries close 31 July 2008 at 5 pm (AEST).

For further information and to enter, go to www.breville.com.au/youngdesignerawards