Winners of the 2017 Salão Design Award have already been announced: eleven cash prizes in the Student, Professional and Industry classes, in addition to nine honorable mentions, three Master Teacher Awards and an Alternative Woods Award - totaling 24 winners. In the final phase, held in May in Serra Gaúcha, judges Brunno Jahara, Glaucia Binda, Ivens Fontoura, Nicole Tomazi and Paulo Biacchi personally evaluated more than 100 finalist products, coming up with the result that includes studios in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.

In general, the judging panel considered that the 21st award competition featured well-finished products and revealed new names to the Latin American design scene. The director of the Salão Design Award, Eduardo Nuncio, emphasizes that the award winners form a cohesive set of pieces with formal and functional quality, highlighting countless projects with multifunctional characteristics. "In addition to being products that present a great combination between form and function, fundamental characteristics for the evaluation of jurors, we are very happy and impressed with the sensitivity of the participants in relation to sustainability, consistency and creativity in the use of materials, and the visible development in the finish of the products presented. This shows how much the level of the projects entered in the competition has been improving year after year," he says.

The product chosen as the most innovative this year was designed a student at PUC-RIO, Daniel Ruben Nasajon and his teacher Cláudio Freitas de Magalhães. It is a piece of portable cutlery called Biko, considered by the jurors to be an excellent commercial object for daily, democratic and rational use. Its design consists of a foldable, beak-shaped artifact, ideal for holding small portions of food. It can replace chopsticks without any type of deforestation and also offers several other possibilities of use including catering, French pizza, cheese and wine, cold cuts and snacks.

In addition to the cash prizes and honorable mentions, the Salão Design Award has been given to alternative woods since 1996 - a special category established with the support of the Brazilian Forest Service, which awards a product for the research and use of species not widely used, in addition to an expedition through the Brazilian timber diversity. Alfio Lisi, who designed the Family Pi product line, made from Muiracatiara Rajada, will have the opportunity to visit the headquarters of the Forest Products Laboratory of the Brazilian Forest Service, in Brasilia, and areas of forest management and wood processing in Amazônia.

The Salão Design Award adds creativity and technological innovation to the furniture industry through design, having been carried out since 1988 by Sindmóveis Bento Gonçalves. Along its history, the competition has already had 13,584 entries. This year, the award ceremony and the award winners exhibition will take place during the High Design - Home & Office Expo, from August 8 to 10 at the São Paulo Expo, as part of the DW! São Paulo Design Weekend.

For more information, visit www.salaodesign.com.br.

Award winners

Class: Student

Category: Social Spaces

Award winner + Master Teacher Award: Biko | Designed by Daniel Ruben Nasajon and Cláudio Freitas de Magalhães. Master Teacher: Cláudio Freitas de Magalhães, PUC-Rio

Category: Private Spaces

Award winner + Master Teacher Award: Planar | Designed by Carolina Rocha and Lúcia Correa. Master Teacher: José Silva, Udelar (Montevidéu, URU)

Honorable Mention + Master Teacher Award: Versa | Designed by Isabela Fraga Raposo. Master Teacher: Marcelo Massaharu, PUC-Rio

Category: Work Spaces

Award winner: Escrivaninha Sobradinho (desk)| Designed by Felipe de Carvalho Madeira, UFRJ (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)

Honorable Mention: Cavalete Dobra | Designed by Felipe de Carvalho Madeira, UFRJ (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)

Class: Professional

Category: Social Spaces

Award winner: Linha Ciranda | Designed by Camila Fix, Flávia Pagotti Silva, Rejane Carvalho Leite and Amélia Tarozzo, Plataforma4 (São Paulo, SP)

Award winner: Pituki | Designed by Claudio Sibille (Montevidéu, URU)

Honorable Mention: Poltrona Fibra (armchair) | Designed by Rosina Secondi, Julian San Martin, Victoria Scola and Daniel Appel, Estudio Claro (Montevidéu, URU)

Honorable Mention: Mesa de apoio Linha Construção (side table)| Designed by Ivan de Sá Rezende (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)

Category: Private Spaces

Award winner: Club | Designed by Ana Sosa and Guillermo Salhón, Estudio Diario (Montevidéu, URU)

Honorable Mention: Pana | Designed by Ana Sosa and Guillermo Salhón, Estudio Diario (Montevidéu, URU)

Honorable Mention: Mesas Bezel (tables)| Designed by Rosina Secondi, Julian San Martin, Victoria Scola and Daniel Appel, Estudio Claro (Montevidéu, URU)

Honorable Mention: Cabideiro Manuh (hanger)| Designed by Eduardo Borém (Brasília, DF)

Alternative Woods Awards: Família Pi | Designed by Alfio Lisi (Leme, SP). Wood used: Muiracatiara Rajada

Category: Work Spaces

Award winner: Cavalete Split | Designed by Mara Luisa Köber, Oppa (São Paulo, SP)

Category: Innovation in Materials and Surfaces

Award winner: V.AZ | Designed by Andrea Bezerra de Carvalho Macruz, Nolli (São Paulo, SP)

Honorable Mention: Doña 3D Print Objetos | Designed by Lucas Ferrera, Doña 3D.COM (Caba, ARG)

Category: E-commerce

Award winner: Base Trindade | Designed by Maurício Siquinelli Nakane, Oppa Design (Ribeirão Preto, SP)

Class: Industry

Category: Social Spaces

Award winner: Skyfolding Collection | Designed by Niccolò Adolini and Daniel Simonini, Adolini+Simonini for Donaflor Mobília (Londrina, PR)

Honorable Mention: Branch Collection | Designed by Niccolò Adolini and Daniel Simonini, Adolini+Simonini for Donaflor Mobília (Londrina, PR)

Category: Private Spaces

Award winner: Linha Canguru | Designed by Isabela Vecci, Vecci and lansky Arquitetura for Líder Interiores (Carmo do Cajuru, MG)