After two intense days, the judges finally chose Xie Yong, Director of the E-madesign Company in Beijing as the 1st place winner in China out of 20 short-listed young designers/entrepreneurs.

Please see the news report and pictures of the finalist announcement meeting here.

Xie Yong’s contribution to the Chinese national design scene was recognized from two aspects. From the aspect of  product design, Xie Yong has established himself as a manager who in the field of marketing and design strategy sets out rules for design standards and design service  and then gives his team substantial power to make sustainable progress. Within one year, his team has grown from the original three members to the eighteen members which it has today.

His contribution to the Chinese national design scene is also evident in design education, He uses his position of  lecturer at the Beijing Institute of Technology, to pass along new design ideas as well as practical design experience and knowledge to his students. Xie Yong hopes to take his participation in the IYDEY 2006 award competition to revaluate his capability and responsibility in the Industrial Design sector in China and establish a new orientation and long-term plan.

Xie Yong represented China on a tour to the UK in September 2006 with nine other finalists from Brazil, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Oman, Slovenia, South Africa and Thailand. The UK visit lasted 12 days and included a tour of the national design industry and the opportunity to attend the 100% Design Fair (21-24 September 2006) and the London Design Festival (15-30 September 2006).

Two 2nd prize winners have also been selected. They are Zhang Yiping, General Manger of the Minhang Race Club and Deputy Director of the International School of Communication Design, Zhuhai Branch of the Beijing Normal University, and Mo Jieru, Project Manager of the Guangzhou Newsdays Interior Design & Construction Company.

Together with Xie Yong, these two 2nd prize winners will have the opportunity to participate in the Young Talents Show organised by the Hong Kong Design Centre in November of this year. They not only will be able to present their own works at the show but they also will be able to meet and network with the 2005 IYDEY finalists and other designers from Hong Kong and the UK.

The International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year Award is part of a programme of British Council awards aimed at the creative industries. It recognises the importance of creative entrepreneurs in the creation of a sustainable and competitive creative economy.

Xie Yong, the China finalist of our International Young Design Entrepreneurs of the Year (IYDEY) award 2006 is short listed for the Top Ten Chinese Young Designers 2006. Currently the award organizer is inviting general public to vote for their favourite shortlistee(s). We wish him good luck.