Nippon Paint (India) Private Limited (Decorative Division), Asia’s leading paint manufacturer today launched the AYDA (Asia Young Designer Award) 2020, India Edition, in a virtual conference. S Mahesh Anand, President – Decorative Paint, Nippon Paint (India) declared the theme for this edition as “Human Centered Design” and officially welcomed entries from students and young professionals in the field of Interior design and Architecture.
Renowned architects Habeeb Khan, President – Council of Architecture India, Divya Kush, President – The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), CR Raju, Jt. Hon. Secretary – The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) andJabeen Zacharias, President – Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) graced the launch. The launch which was conducted virtually, saw the participation of over 400 students and faculty members of Architecture and interior design institutions from across India.

As part of the launch, an MoU was announced between Nippon Paint India and the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID). Jabeen Zacharias, President of IIID, shared that IIID will now be the supporting partners of AYDA, and will promote the competition across the interior designer fraternity, student wing and colleges affiliated with IIID. IIID will also enable the finalists to secure internships and full time employment based on their merit, apart from grooming them for the competition.

Following the launch, a panel discussion on the theme “Human Centered Design” was held which saw the participation of leading architects like Swanzal Kak Kapoor (SAKA), Gyanendra Shekhawat (IDEAS Jaipur), Gita Balakrishnan (ETHOS), Shabnam Gupta (The Orange Lane) and Eugene Pandala (CSBNE).
Brief for participating in AYDA 2020:

Participants have to submit their projects based on the current theme “Human Centered Design” by the last submission date October 31, 2020. Out of all the entries, 24 candidates will be shortlisted who will compete at the national finals. One winner from each category (Architecture and Interior Design) will be awarded the gold and silver award and cash prizes of Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively. The gold winners will also receive a fully paid trip to compete at the grand finale of Nippon Paint’s Asia Young Designer Awards 2020, to compete with 14 other Asian Countries .All the respective AYDA 2020 GOLD WINNERS from 15 Asian countries will compete for the coveted Asia Young Designer of the Year Award 2020 tittle, (Asia edition) and win a chance to attend a 6-week Harvard Design Discovery Summer Programme at Harvard University – USA, worth more than USD 10,000.

Human-centred design is about cultivating deep empathy with the people participants are designing for; generating ideas; sharing what participants have made with the people they’re designing for; and eventually, putting their innovative new solution out in the world. The end-product needs to be practical and socially-driven with a clear vision to deliver positive impact for the end-users participants have in mind.

Anand commented, “The past editions of AYDA has seen phenomenal success for Indian finalists, including a win at the 2018 global finale for the first time. We are absolutely delighted to launch the 5th edition of AYDA 2020 (India edition) and are hopeful that the participants’ unique design concepts will benefit local societies and communities at large. This holds great architectural relevance during times as challenging as the ongoing pandemic. Over the years, Nippon Paint’s AYDA has established a close-knit community of design professionals, industry associations and leading design schools. We are very optimistic that our efforts through AYDA will continue to inspire talented students of architecture and interior design, encouraging them to act as a catalyst and transform the future of our built environments.”

Balakrishnan said “I, along with the entire team at Ethos look forward to this meaningful annual journey every year called the Asia Young Designer Awards. It is indeed refreshing and heartening to see ingenious solutions proposed by young minds to bring about social and environmental change and to touch lives. Kudos to Nippon Paint for sustaining this effort every year with the objective of nurturing young talent. Every student and jury member for that matter who engages with AYDA is most likely to blossom into a responsible professional and human being. I look forward to sensitive designs being showcased befitting a fantastic milestone edition!”

Zacharias added “Institute of Indian Interior Designers is really excited about AYDA- the award program with a difference. Difference lies in the fact that Nippon Paint has this curated exclusively for students – the best way to invest in our tomorrows! This is really great considering that we don’t have many awards programs for students. IIID is an organization which believes in the importance of education. We have 60 colleges affiliated to us with many programs like scholarships etc. Naturally we are very thrilled to partner with AYDA for the ID category.”