Student Design Competition 2025 Winners
The 2025 Collab Design Excellence Award honoree — and this year’s inspiration for the 33rd annual Collab Student Design Competition — is Sebastian Errazuriz, a Chilean industrial designer and artist known for his thought-provoking, functional, and often surreal furniture, sculptures, and installations. His work blends art, design, and technology, challenging conventional aesthetics while exploring themes such as life, death, and consumer culture.
The students were challenged to design a sideboard, console, or cabinet that embodies the spirit and discipline of Sebastian Errazuriz's work. Characteristics and inspiration must consider quality of design and materials; functional user experience; and be thought-provoking with elements of humor.
Participating schools this year included 59 entries from four universities: Drexel University, Tyler School of Art & Architecture at Temple University, The University of Pennsylvania, and The New School–Parsons. The competition draws students from the sophomore through senior undergraduate levels, as well as graduate students across a range of design-related majors.
Judges for the 2025 competition were:
Ashlee Harrison – Advisor and Private Dealer; Founder of @thirty8east and Ashlee Harrison, Inc.
Tiffany Lambert – The Lisa Roberts and David Seltzer Curator of Modern & Contemporary Design, Philadelphia Art Museum
Christian A. Larsen – Art Historian, Curator, Consultant
Barry Richards – Principal & Studio Leader, Rockwell Group
Lewis Wexler – Owner, Wexler Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
The judges were tasked with looking for evidence of applied research and process; originality and creativity of the concept; and the ability to be manufactured.
Five awards were presented by the jury:
1st Place: Record Cabinet – Abby Costeira from The New School–Parsons
2nd Place: Still in Motion – Tong Zhang from The New School–Parsons
3rd Place: Can Cabinet – Lindsay Jadow from The New School–Parsons
Honorable Mention: Jenga – Haewon Kang from Tyler School of Art & Architecture, Temple University
Honorable Mention: Mira – Malay Shah from The University of Pennsylvania
The winners receive a monetary prize as well as a one-year membership to the Philadelphia Art Museum for one year:
First Prize: $800 | Second Prize: $500 | Third Prize: $300 |Two Honorable Mentions: $200.
Collab congratulates the winners, honorable mentions, and all participating students! We love seeing the future of design right here in our community at large.
