By YIP YOKE TENG

Aspiring and practising furniture designers can flex their creativity muscles again at the MIECO Designer’s Choice Awards 2015 that is back for the second year.  

The competition allows even more freedom this time around by encouraging participants to not worry about the commercial aspects of their designs.  


“We have taken out the commercial aspect from our judging criteria this year. The designers should just worry about the designs, let the sales and marketing personnel work on selling the products,” said MIECO Chipboard Bhd managing director Datuk Yong Seng Yeow.  

He said the move was in line with the organiser’s efforts to strengthen the Malaysia brand and to dispel the common perception that local designers were mostly copycat-minded.  

“The awards will also serve as a launch pad to international recognition for their works as it will create opportunities to network with renowned professionals and overseas industry players,” Yong said at the launch of the competition at Menara Multi-Purpose recently.  

He said the 2014 winners were given well-deserved recognition for their talents and creativity when they received the awards at the Malaysian International Furniture Fair (MIFF) that was attended by some 19,000 visitors.  

He said that winners of the student category would be given scholarship instead of cash prize in order to propel them to greater heights.  

The competition received over 50 entries in its first year.  

Manufacturers, individual professionals and student designers based in Malaysia are welcome to take part.  

There are three categories namely Kitchen Furniture with a limited floor space of 9sq m, Office Furniture depicting the SOHO (small office/home Office) theme with a limited floor space of 4 sq m and Living Room Home Furniture with Zen concept, which focuses on simplicity and clarity.  

The designs should give emphasis to new ideas and concepts incorporating modern lifestyle for contemporary living utilising particleboard wood panel.  

Winners will be announced during MIFF 2015 scheduled for March 4 to 8, prototypes of finalists’ entries will be displayed at Putra World Trade Centre and other fairgrounds.  

MIFF Sdn Bhd chairman and managing director Datuk Tan Chin Huat said the organiser might set up a special committee to work on ways to market the winning designs, citing the possibility of granting the patents of commercially viable designs to those who are interested.  

Two members of the judging panel, Majidah Design Sdn Bhd managing director Majidah Majid and Malaysian Institute of Art president Dr Choong Kam Kow, said the judges would look for creativity, originality and practicality in the designs.  

The grand award winner for the Manufacturer and Professional categories will walk away with a trophy and RM10,000 worth of prizes while the grand award winner for the Student category will receive a trophy and RM5,000 in scholarship.  

Entry forms for the competition are available online at www.mieco.com.my and www.miff.com.my. The closing date for all entries is Nov 15.  

For details, visit the websites above or call 03-2694 6233 ext 1856/1865 or email mdca@mieco.com.my