Design Ventura 2024-25: this year’s shortlist (and our shortlisting judges)
Thank you to all the teachers and students who have worked so hard on this year’s project. There was an incredible diversity amongst all our submissions this year, making it particularly difficult to rank them all. Another warm thank you goes to to our guest judges, who had the unenviable task of selecting only a few of these design concepts to go through to the next stage of the competition.
Shortlisting judges
Joshua Armitage
Alongside being a practicing artist, Josh works as an associate lecturer in illustration at Goldsmiths University. Working primarily in drawing and painting from his South London studio, Josh explores how architecture and place intertwine with spirituality, memory, and emotion. Teaching is an integral part of his practice, expanding beyond working within institutions to the public realm.
Malay Nagda
An award-winning designer whose diverse portfolio spans across products including peer-to-peer payment system, an intuitive trading platform, and an online market place, Malay now heads the design team at a major financial institution. He’s been a mentor for our Speed Networking events in the past – shown in action here! – and beyond design, he finds artistic expression in the intricate details of origami models.
Hani Salih
Hani aims to bridge gaps between different contexts through his research, curation, writing and programming, by underpinning the importance of collective alliances to bring about positive social change. His interests in policy innovation, health and wellbeing, placemaking, and systems and infrastructure are informed by his background in architecture.
Juliana Caviedes Tello
Juliana came to London from Bogotá, ColColombia to study Performance Design & Practice at Central Saint Martins. She has since worked across theatre and screen – including The Nevers, Heartstopper, and the Fast & Furious franchise – and even the circus (the wardrobe department of Cirque du Soleil’s touring ‘Circus 1903’)!
After much debate – taking a little longer than we expected! – the final top ten state school entries and top three schools in the International and Independent Category have indeed been selected! You can find the full shortlist below, but first we’ll cover what’s next.
What happens next?
All schools who have submitted an entry for Design Ventura should by now have received feedback from our judges – please let us know if this is not the case. You will also be sent participation certificates for all of your students by post at a later date.
The shortlisted schools have been contacted with further details about the Pitching event, taking place Tuesday 25 March, and the final winner will be announced at a Celebration Day taking place at the Design Museum in April.
Shortlisted entries – state schools (alphabetical order)
Beaminster School – Nature’s Palette
A fun, multilingual, recyclable stencil set which aims to connect children to the natural world and encourage creativity through mixing and matching tree species throughout the seasons.
Beechen Cliff School – The Design Odyssey
A product which inspires users to learn from design history to change today’s world, by undertaking 100 daily challenges drawing on real world issues such as the climate crisis.
Cambourne Village College – Loopy Loom
A family-friendly weaving tool that transforms old clothing into new household items, combating fast fashion waste while creating quality time to make memories – and material – together while eradicating waste.
Haggerston School – Motivational Monkey
A task management system for families. Complete challenges so your ‘motivational monkey’ can climb its tree! Tasks/chores/challenges can be written in dry-erase pen to evolve with your family’s needs as children grow.
Hinchingbrooke School – Recyclosketch
A sustainable drawing tool made from recycled bottles. It transforms waste into a fun, educational souvenir, by challenging students to practice isometric sketching during or after their visit to the Design Museum.
John Hampden Grammar School – Climate Cards
An educational card game that teaches young people about the climate crisis, aiming to create an engaging learning experience while encouraging environmental responsibility.
Outwood Academy Haydock – Sprout Cards
Biodegradable postcards made from recycled, all-natural seed paper. Simply write, send, plant, and enjoy the magic of growing memories. Choose Sprout Cards for a greener way to connect and plant a message that grows with time!
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School – Design!
Challenge stereotypes by exploring diverse designers across different eras, backgrounds, and identities through this card game similar to Snap! It aims to be an engaging, reusable learning resource for families and schools alike, and a souvenir of the Design Museum.
Ravens Wood Boys School – Passive Speaker
An all-analogue phone amplifier. Its directional sound design amplifies without disturbing those around you, and its hard, recycled plastic material combinines environmental responsibility with practical functionality.
St Clement Danes School – Flip It
Portable cutlery depicting different endangered animals when opened or closed. Eat your packed lunch in style, while learning about how and why you should support endangered wildlife!
Shortlisted entries – international and independent schools (alphabetical order)
Halcyon London International School – MicroBloom Greenhouse
A mini-greenhouse which transforms conventional farming into a sustainable, space-efficient model on a tiny scale – isn’t that where everything needs to start? Plant microgreens and create a green garden in your home.
Kew House School – Chore Challengers
An interactive card game designed to help engage young people in chores around the house. Every day there is a new chore to prioritise, with friendly monster characters to help you stay motivated.
The King’s School Canterbury – Scrap’n’Save
A playful but informative card game which aims to educate the whole family on correct waste disposal and recycling.