The Competition

Over 40 young Spanish designers participated in the competition and were tasked to create long-lasting objects in American red oak. "We are creating objects that last longer, use less energy, barely generate waste and with a carbon footprint that is beneficial to the environment," explains Carlos Kasner, head of AHEC in Spain.

“Tired of today’s throw-away culture, we are re-designing products for eternity,” says Cecilia Zavala, Coordinator of AIDI. The infinite objects aim to inspire and claim the value of sustainable design as a "social transformer".

The first phase of the competition shortlisted 40 designers under 35 at the beginning of 2019. Before developing their projects, they all got to partake in a training session of the application of American hardwood species in sustainable design in July.

After a first selection of 12 candidates in September, each was assigned a well-known designer to supervise their project and stimulate their level of development and quality. National and international designers such as Izaskun Chinchilla, Antonio Serrano and Sebastian Cox took part in the project. After a second selection, eight finalists were chosen, whose designs were on display at the Fernán Gómez Cultural Center for Madrid Design Festival in February 2020.

The winners were chosen by a selected jury on 15th February. From Cradle to Cradle was the chosen winner, and was also the winner of the People’s Vote, followed by Dew as first runner-up and Taburete Barlovento as second runner-up.