Winners of Design Ventura announced at the Design Museum, London

A photo of the gift tags with the same design. The tags have three pin badges packaged each depicting famous London landmarks including: Big Ben, the BT Tower, Tower Bridge, the Shard.
The Design Museum unveiled the winners of its design competition Design Ventura - a partnership with Deutsche Bank - for students in years 9 to 11. The winning entry came from Trinity School in Lewisham who scooped top honours with 'Pic Pins' (pictured), their playful set of badges depicting famous London landmarks
(Image credit: TBC)

We've long believed in the importance of supporting emerging talent and the Design Museum clearly shares our sentiments. Today, the London institution announced the winners of its design competition, Design Ventura, which innovatively opens the floor to industrious 13-16 year olds, exposing them to the reality of working in design.

A partnership with Deutsche Bank, the three-year old enterprise allows participating young minds to experience the design process; from pitching ideas and working to a brief to solving complex problems pertaining to development and production along the way. While the experience can be considered a prize in itself, the top honour for the winning team is the chance to see its creation put into production and sold at the Design Museum's shop.

As with every year, teams' design proposals were vetted by a glittering panel of industry insiders. This year's winners, a group from Trinity School in Lewisham, London, impressed the likes of designers Anya Hindmarch, Sebastian Conran and Naomi Cleaver, along with our own top dog Tony Chambers, with a set of clever badges called 'Pics Pins'. The pins depict famous London landmarks in segments that can be playfully rearranged, much like the game Consequences. In addition to the pins being produced and stocked in the museum's shop, the winning team from Trinity School will receive a £1,000 bursary, with all profits from sales going to the charity of their choice: CATS (Cure and Treatment of Tay Sachs Disease).

Top honours were also given to a group from Essex's Brentwood School for winning the programme's online iteration, who devised a pair of cycling glove lights that enhanced cyclists' safety when they indicated a turn. Students from Walsall Academy also won an award for good communication with their interactive card game, Gesso, aimed at combating boredom while on a journey.

With all products winging their way into the Design Museum shop some time soon, the future for design is shining bright.

A photo of a brown belt made from recycled bike tyres.

St Clove's and St Saviour's Grammar School were 'commended for sustainable design' for their 'Attyre' belt, made of recycled bike tyres

(Image credit: TBC)

A photo of black gloves which have illumination elements.

For Virtual Ventura, the online version of the programme, Essex's Brentwood School nabbed first prize with their pair of illuminated gloves, designed to improve safety for cyclists when indicating to turn

(Image credit: TBC)

A photo of students and judges sat in rows, featuring Sebastian Conran (left) and Anya Hindmarch (right)

Judges included noted design luminaries such as as Sebastian Conran (left) and Anya Hindmarch (right)

(Image credit: TBC)

Interlocking white circular cards that can be arranged into a sculpture or mobile

'Journey Cardz' by Mill Hill Country High School are interlocking cards that can be arranged into a sculpture or mobile

(Image credit: TBC)

A bag that has its exterior designed with a map highlighting parks in London

Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls entered a clever multiple-use bag that unfolds into a picnic blanket with a map highlighting parks in London

(Image credit: TBC)

A card game with its box.

A new award category for good communication launched this year was judged by our own Editor-in-Chief Tony Chambers along with TESPro magazine's editor Michael Shaw. Walsall Academy won with 'Gesso', an interactive card game to combat boredom on long trips

(Image credit: TBC)

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Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.