Discover the winners of the 2023 Helen Hamlyn Design Awards

The annual Helen Hamlyn Design Awards recognise creativity in human-centred and inclusive design across all disciplines of the College. The winning projects are chosen from the RCA’s MA and MRes graduating cohort who put forward their designs for consideration.

The awards are organised by the RCA’s Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design (HHCD) – a global leader in inclusive design, design thinking and creative leadership, endowed by the Helen Hamlyn Trust.

The 2023 winning projects propose innovative and transformative solutions.

They champion inclusivity; from bridging the divide between Chinese and English speakers, to making art and design education more accessible to people with disabilities.

And improve people’s lives; with a device that monitors and clears airways to better manage respiratory health conditions and a filtration system that reduces air pollutants in developing countries.

Winning project: Freespeak by Wanqi Wang (MA Contemporary Art Practice, 2023)

Prize: £2,000

Freespeak is a language conversion service that enables English speakers to effortlessly speak Chinese without any prior knowledge, by employing a carefully curated selection of English words that closely match the original Chinese pronunciations. The project aims to address the frequent problem of English speakers mispronouncing Chinese names, which can lead to misunderstandings and unintended disrespect.

“Winning this award fills me with immense encouragement and inspiration. It underscores the importance of fostering an inclusive community that celebrates language diversity, without which this achievement wouldn't have been possible. I am profoundly grateful to see my work recognised and appreciated in such a meaningful way.” Wanqi Wang (MA Contemporary Art Practice, 2023)

“The judges praised the simplicity of this solution and were wowed by the potential to improve inclusivity and redefine language acquisition. In particular, Wanqi’s ambition to facilitate effective communication and help users embrace diversity through inclusive innovation was particularly impressive.” Jennie Collingwood, Northumbrian Water Group

Winner: We are in this Together by Joy Lu, (MA Design Products, 2023) and Beatrice Sangster, (MA Visual Communication, 2023)

Prize: £2,000

This project addresses the issues people with disabilities face navigating higher education in art and design. A handbook, a curated set of discussion objects and a set of activity cards provide guidance, prompt conversations around related topics, and assist self and peer reflection. It is a communal inclusion plan that welcomes everyone into conversations on disability and neurodiversity.

“We are deeply honoured to receive the Snowdon Award for Disability, and are really grateful for the support from the Snowdon Trust. It’s wonderful that neurodivergent and disabled voices were represented and heard during the application process. I want to thank the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, the Snowdon Trust, the judging panel, my tutors, my technician friends, my parents, and the generations of neurodivergent individuals who fought for the level of awareness and acceptance that we have today.” Joy Lu (MA Design Products, 2023)

“We’re deeply appreciative of the award and feel an incredible sense of pride in having the support of this foundation.” Beatrice Sangster (MA Visual Communication, 2023)

“Joy and Beatrice gave a beautiful and heartfelt presentation for their design. The design and the thinking behind it aligns very much with the work of the Snowdon Trust. I am extremely proud and happy to give them this award and hope that it is a small foundation towards some very important work and ideas they have to offer in the future.” Lady Frances Armstrong-Jones, Trustee at Snowdon Trust

Winner: Pleural by Yihan Dong, Daniel Hale, William Eliot, Fergus Laidlaw, (all MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering, 2023)

Prize: £2,000

Pleural is an airway clearance device designed to help individuals suffering from debilitating airway mucus. It uses intelligent analysis to provide the most effective treatment and monitoring to patients for relief and reduced infection risk.

“HHCD is a huge inspiration to us and sets the standard for us to design with empathy and care in the medical space. Winning the award means that we’ll be able to develop Pleural and take this product to those affected by mucus-related respiratory health conditions, impacting their lives for the better.” William Eliot (MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering, 2023)

“Pleural demonstrated a very clear virtuous circle through its design process into a holistic person-centred design solution. Breathing is something that we take for granted and is central to our quality of life. For the 3.9 million suffering from excess mucus Pleural provides a bedside companion which not only addresses the physical issue of shifting mucus on the lungs but also enables the individual to understand their condition and its progression. It is an empowering design with the person at its heart and is a great example of a personalised approach to healthcare. The object itself encapsulates a feeling of comfort, holding and being held.” Lucy O’Rorke, Director of Projects, Helen Hamlyn Trust

Winner: Channi by Priyanshu Mukhopadhyay, (MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering, 2023)

Prize: £1,000 and place on an Experience Haus workshop

Channi is a robust, affordable, and rapidly deployable water-based filtration system for capturing particulate matter from solid fuel stove emissions; reducing air pollutants in developing countries while preserving cultural livelihoods.

“I am thrilled to be recognised for a project that is very close to my heart. This validates the approach taken towards a larger goal of environmental and social sustainability. Both the funding and opportunity to increase my knowledge base at Experience Haus will significantly assist the growth and development of Channi.” Priyanshu Mukhopadhyay (MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering, 2023)

“We were impressed by the confidence and professionalism Priyanshu came forward with presenting this project. What we enjoy about the project is the massive impact this can potentially have – all the way from workers, to their families, to the neighbourhoods they live in and to the growing urban cities around the world. We can't wait to see how the project unfolds with Priyanshu’s vision and steer, and highly commend him for the work done so far.” Amit Patel, Creative Director, Experience Haus

This award is presented to a previous Research Associate of The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and for 2023 was awarded to Ivelina Gadzheva.

Ivelina Gadzheva is an Inclusive Designer who advises public and private organisations on how to expand their innovation capacity. She was research associate at the HHCD between 2018 and 2022.

Ivelina is the founder of Design for All Bulgaria Foundation and the co-founder of the Service Design Network chapter Bulgaria. She consulted on the first pedestrian wayfinding system and the first hub for Social Innovation in Sofia, Bulgaria. Currently, she is working on an inclusive design for a kindergarten, school and community centre in Sofia and is a design facilitator on an international project focused on creating an AI for improved diagnostic for newborns with rare diseases.

“It is an incredible feeling of joy and excitement to be recognised as one of the dedicated ambassadors of Inclusive Design. In the spirit of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, I am committed to a world where inclusion is not just a goal, but a way of life, where human diversity is seen as a potential, not a limitation. Creativity and empathy know no boundaries, and I believe that together we can design a future where every voice is heard, and every person's needs are met, regardless of their abilities or circumstances.” Ivelina Gadzheva, Inclusive Design specialist and founder of Design for all Bulgaria Foundation

The Fixperts learning programme takes place in 50 universities and higher education institutions across more than 20 countries. Teams of students work on design projects that positively impact our daily lives. Each year, the Helen Hamlyn Design Awards presents a Fixperts Award for the best of the Fixperts projects from this global network.

For 2023, we were pleased to award Chi Hoang and Anna Eerdman from Ravensbourne University, London, for their project: A Trike Seat for Zara. This was a bespoke bike seat for their client Zara, a leg amputee. Because of Zara's amputation, she has only bone and tissue on her right side, which can make sitting extremely uncomfortable, or even painful, and she needs extra padding to prevent injury. Chi and Anna worked closely with Zara to design various iterations to ensure that the seat met her particular needs. Their final solution was a hammock-style seat fixed to a trike that enables Zara to ride around Brighton.