Kaj Franck prize

Ahead! is a showcase for award-winning Finnish design. The winner of the annually awarded Kaj Franck Design Prize will have their life’s work presented at a special exhibition in the Ahead! area. The purpose of the award is to support a designer or a team of designers who produces high-quality industrial design in the spirit of Kaj Franck. The focus will be on the designer’s or team’s track record in design as a whole.

The Kaj Franck Design Prize was established by Design Forum Finland and it has been awarded since 1992. The Kaj Franck Design Prize of 2011 has been awarded to interior architect, professor Simo Heikkilä. Heikkilä is a furniture designer who is known as a keen producer of Finnish design. Previous winners of the prize include the artist Marja Suna (2010), designer and artist Professor Hannu Kähönen (2009), interior architect and Professor Eero Aarnio (2008), ceramic artist Kati Tuominen-Niittylä (2007), and engineer and designer Olavi Lindén (2006). The Kaj Franck Design Prize is funded by the Finnish Fair Foundation. The prize is worth €10,000.