Success for Leeds Beckett University students at the Royal Society of Arts Student Design Awards

The RSA Student Design Awards are a global competition encouraging students to use their creativity and skills to tackle current social and environmental challenges. This year’s brief ranged from empowering communities, to creating better building solutions.

Satch Kulangara’s project, ‘ShellStyles’, won the award in the ‘Building Better’ category. The design uses eggshell waste to create building tiles designed to replace traditional ceramic tiles.

Satch said: “I am incredibly proud and honoured to win this award, which is the culmination of three years of hard work at Leeds Beckett University. I believe this achievement is a great start to my journey as a life-centred designer.

“I am immensely grateful to my tutors who have played a significant role in shaping me into the designer I am today. Their guidance, expertise, and unwavering support have been crucial to my personal and professional growth.”

Reuben Riddiough’s project, ‘Solar-Charged Communities’, was Highly Commended for the ‘Powering People’ category. His design involves a portable charging system and service for community centre users to help raise awareness and participation of renewable energy transitions in the cost-of-living crisis.

Reuben said: “I’m delighted that my project has been recognised at the RSA Student Design Awards. To be shortlisted, and then win alongside my course mate, Satch, and many other great student designers, is a very proud and exciting moment for me.

“For the past three years at Leeds Beckett, I have tried to take on every opportunity that came my way. Alongside the RSA competition, I also had the chance to work with the LEEDS 2023 Year of Culture to deliver product design workshops to people in the city. My university experience has developed my knowledge and skills and encouraged me to follow my goal to work as an industrial designer.”

Lauren Moriarty, Course Director for BA Product Design at Leeds Beckett University’s Leeds School of Arts, said: “We are immensely proud of Satch and Reuben for this fantastic achievement. They have both worked incredibly hard and produced high quality, socially and environmentally responsible design work in response to the RSA briefs. We wish them the best of luck building careers in the design industry going forward.”

The RSA Student Design Awards offer successful students a free, one-year fellowship and the chance to join the Society, meet and work with key names in the industry, and access resources and events to help develop their careers.