Red Dot: Junior Prize 2023

PYRY – Artistic Book Made of Ice

Part of the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design is the Red Dot: Junior Award that offers a special deal to young creatives at the beginning of their professional career.

The aim is to stimulate the industry with fresh ideas, creatively address social issues and support the further development of projects that are innovative in terms of topic, technology or approach.

The best work is awarded the Red Dot: Junior Prize, worth 10,000 euros, to help the winner launch their career in the design scene.

Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier, Red Dot: Junior Prize winner 2023

Artistic and technical excellence in the project “PYRY”

In 2023 the Red Dot: Junior Prize was awarded to Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier for her project titled PYRY, a book made of ice, which translates to “snow furry” and convinced the Red Dot jury, in terms of both content and form.

The frozen book pages allow the beauty of the Arctic Circle to shine through a thin layer of ice, symbolising its fragility. The aesthetics of the photographs and their message, combined with the special aesthetics of the risography and the technical realisation of the ice-covered pages, fascinated the jury across the board.  

The judging process of the Red Dot: Junior Prize is always a special event, as it is decided by all the jurors in a joint vote. In 2023, the jury voted almost unanimously for Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier and her project “PYRY”, an unprecedented spectacle for everyone involved:

 

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Inspiration from the Arctic Circle: Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier’s journey

PYRY was inspired by Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier’s semester abroad at the University of Lapland, where she spent five months in the Arctic Circle and experienced extreme cold of up to minus 38 degrees Celsius on a daily basis.

To experience the beauty of the Ice Book, one has to brave the cold necessary to preserve the ice it’s made of – a permanent temperature of 0 degrees Celsius is enough. For the protection of the Arctic and the ice, however, far greater measures are necessary, which is ultimately the message of her project.

“I think we need to do everything we can to drive an ecological rethink and actively unlearn short-term, personal conveniences – for the sake of a long-term, shared future”, says Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier.

Legacy beyond the ice: the everlasting message of PYRY

The fragility of her ice book is ever-present, especially when considering the measures taken to preserve it – a metaphor for the fragility of our planet and the effects of climate change.

Although the ice book probably won’t last forever, its message will.

As Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier says: “I don’t wish any claim to eternity for my own or any other man-made artefacts. This brings us back to climate change: I think we have immortalised ourselves enough”.

Design excellence takes centre stage: Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier at the Red Dot Gala 2023 in Berlin

Jana Zec presents the Junior Prize to Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier
Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier and Jana Zec on stage at the Red Dot Gala in Berlin

Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier received the Red Dot: Junior Prize from Jana Zec, Vice President of Red Dot, and Prof. Dr. Peter Zec, Founder and CEO of Red Dot, on the stage of the Konzerthaus Berlin, where guests from around 30 nations celebrated outstanding design achievements.

Marie-Luise Charlotte Weier was delighted to be awarded the prestigious Junior Prize for her project:

 

 

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Register now

Registration for the Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design is possible from 19 February 2024 and is divided into the following registration phases:

Early Bird: 19 February – 15 March 2024
Regular: 16 March – 17 May 2024
Latecomer: 18 May 2024 – 7 June 2024

Early Birds benefit from a reduced registration fee. Red Dot: Junior Award participants receive a 10 % discount on the registration fee and, if awarded, a 20 % discount on the Winner Package.

» To the registration portal