With COVID-19 restrictions the 4th edition of the Lexus design awards was held virtually and saw winners being declared in 13 categories, up from the previous 10. 

• The 2021 awards ceremony was held virtually
• 2021 saw the introduction of 3 new awards; total number of awards is now 13 

Lexus Design Awards India (LDAI): What is it?

 LDAI is the India edition of the international design competition started by Lexus in 2013. The competition targets upcoming designers with the aim of encouraging growth and furthering the cause of design helping society. It thus rewards designers and creators who have original and innovative solutions to issues faced in each country.

The awards also help the designers by pairing up the finalists with globally recognized designers who serve as mentors and guide the participants through the entire process. The three key design principles of the contest are Anticipate, Innovate and Captivate and participants are expected to follow a structured process all through the phases. 

In response to a question from Autocar India as to whether the competition saw some Indian ‘Jugaad’ in the design process Prof. Dhimant Panchal, LDAI 2021 Jury Chairperson, said “It was a pleasure to see so many young designers follow strict process and protocols and in that sense there was no Jugaad or short cut as all designers followed a very exhaustive design process”.

Student category winner Achyut Shanbhag who’s project titled Iceheal – a device that delivers both hot & cold therapy for quick pain relief – also said “ I followed the process of talking to stakeholders, continuous iteration, prototyping and testing and it helped me and I hope it will help further too”.

Why the Lexus Design Awards?

Lexus first started the awards in 2013 and it has since grown to be a well known contest in the design world with numerous entries vying for the titles. Simon Humphries, Head of Toyota & Lexus Global Design said “Right from the start in 1989 Lexus have pushed the point that we are more than just an automotive brand, and Akio Toyota’s (Toyota President) way of thinking, that we are here to make society better, is really at the essence of these awards”. P.B. Venugopal, President, Lexus India also added saying “while the idea of the awards is to enrich society I’m happy to say that the contest itself is very popular, when we started in India we had about 275 entries, this year we had over a 1000”.

LDAI 2021 Winners

This year the contest saw the introduction of 3 new awards; the People’s Choice, Lexus Guests’ Choice and Media Choice awards and in total awarded 13 participants in the below categories.