Vilcek Foundation Announces Open Call for $150,000 in Prizes to Immigrant Designers

Press Release
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Mar 1, 2023 12:45 EST

NEW YORK, March 1, 2023 (CarryOnHarry.com)
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In 2024, the Vilcek Foundation will award three Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise of $50,000 each to immigrant designers living and working in the United States. The foundation is issuing an open call for applications for the 2024 prizes, which will be accepted through June 12, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. ET. 

The Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Design are part of the Vilcek Foundation Prizes program, which recognizes the contributions of immigrants in the United States and celebrates the value of immigration for a robust society. Awarded annually since 2006, the Vilcek Foundation Prizes are given each year in two primary categories: biomedical science and a rotating category in the arts and humanities. The Vilcek Foundation Prizes recognize and celebrate the contributions of immigrants to the arts, culture, and society, and shine a spotlight on individual immigrant artists and scientists whose work has a profound impact on their field.

“Design integrates artistry and scientific analysis to create graphics, products, and experiences that fulfill fundamental human needs: communication, functionality, comfort, and aesthetics,” says Vilcek Foundation President Rick Kinsel. “With the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Design, we honor individual immigrant designers whose work is visually compelling and anticipates the needs of clients and communities.”

The 2024 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Design will be awarded to individuals working in digital design, graphic design, product design, and social design. Recipients of the Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise each receive an unrestricted cash award of $50,000 and a commemorative certificate. Prize recipients are also celebrated in a media campaign published by the Vilcek Foundation highlighting their design accomplishments and life experiences. 

Eligible candidates must have at least five years of professional experience in design and must provide proof of completing at least three professional, implemented design projects produced independently or as part of a design collective. Candidates must have been born outside the United States to non-American parents on or after Jan. 1, 1985, and be living and working in the United States. DACA recipients and asylum seekers are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Vilcek Foundation previously awarded prizes in design in 2014. That year, Neri Oxman, known for her work that combines design, biology, computing, and materials engineering, received a Vilcek Prize in Design, and game and UX designer Yasaman Hashemian, product designer Mansour Ourasanah, and DSGN AGNC founder Quilian Riano received Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise in Design. 

Full application details and eligibility requirements are available at the Vilcek Foundation and at vilcek.org. Please direct questions about the application process or the Vilcek Foundation Prizes program to Chief Program Officer Shinnie Kim at creativepromise@vilcek.org.

The Vilcek Foundation

The Vilcek Foundation raises awareness of immigrant contributions in the United States and fosters appreciation for the arts and sciences. The foundation was established in 2000 by Jan and Marica Vilcek, immigrants from the former Czechoslovakia. The mission of the foundation was inspired by the couple’s respective careers in biomedical science and art history. Since 2000, the foundation has awarded over $7 million in prizes to foreign-born individuals and has supported organizations with over $6 million in grants.

The Vilcek Foundation is a private operating foundation, a federally tax-exempt nonprofit organization under IRS Section 501(c)(3). To learn more, please visit vilcek.org. 

Source: The Vilcek Foundation