Ornamo Award

Ornamo has been awarding design professionals since 1981. The current format of the Ornamo Award has been in place since 2015. The award is granted for outstanding achievements in design expertise, development, or utilization. Ornamo Award is given, with changing themes, to the selected design professionals, groups, or companies who are at the forefront of design. Ornamo also presents an encouragement award to a student in the field of design at a higher education institution.

Ornamo Award ’24 winners work across all layers of the planet – from roadsides to the troposphere

The recipients of the Ornamo Award have been selected from 84 nominations. The 2024 winners are measurement technology company Vaisala, designer Zeynep Falay von Flittner, and recent Aalto University Master’s graduate in design, Iines Jakovlev. Additionally, a special honorable mention was awarded to the startup company Materialisting.

All winners apply sustainability principles in their work and strategy in innovative and responsible ways. The winners were announced during the opening event of Helsinki Design Week and were selected by a jury of design professionals and stakeholders. The jury included Nokia’s Design Director, Jonne Harju; Rester’s Head of Partnerships, Anna-Kaisa Huttunen; Glass Artist Renata Schirm; Sitra’s Futurist, Otto Tähkäpää; and Venture Capitalist Maria Wasastjerna. The jury was chaired by Katja Soini, Chair of Ornamo and Director of Strategy and Sustainability at Afry.

According to the jury, all the award recipients represent innovative approaches, solutions, or products that bring value and growth to the companies developing and commercializing them. In addition, the awardees provide solutions to societal and environmental challenges aligned with sustainable development goals.

The categories vary annually, reflecting Ornamo’s strategic priorities. In 2024, the awards were granted in two main categories: Design Forerunner and Design Utilizer , along with one award for a thesis in the field of design. Additionally, the jury recognized one candidate with an Honorable Mention.

Design at Vaisala is tied to climate goals

The Ornamo Award 2024 for Design Utilization is granted to measurement technology company Vaisala, in recognition of its significant contribution to enabling climate action. According to the jury, Vaisala elevates creativity as a key driver of innovation alongside technology and science.

Vaisala is a global leader in measurement technology, and its intelligent solutions enhance resource efficiency, accelerate the energy transition, and ensure the safety and well-being of people and societies worldwide. For nearly 90 years, Vaisala’s measurement solutions have supported the climate efforts of clients across various industries. The company’s technology is used in over 150 countries — and even on Mars.

The jury emphasized Vaisala’s exceptionally clear mission to understand, mitigate, and address the consequences of climate change, as well as its broad use of diverse design disciplines such as customer experience, user interface design, industrial design, service design, visual design, and usability assessment.

The Ornamo Sphere trophy, designed by Timo Sarpaneva, will be accepted by Vaisala’s Head of Design Sauli Laitinen, who has led the company’s design team since 2010.

Designer Zeynep Falay von Flittner is at the forefront of systemic change

The Ornamo Award ’24 Design Forerunner Prize is awarded to transition designer Zeynep Falay von Flittner in recognition of her holistic approach to advancing sustainable development goals. The award includes a €2,500 prize.

According to the jury, Falay von Flittner serves as an inspiring role model and an empowering force within the design community. She has established herself as a leader in transformational design, achieving significant results in both environmental protection and social well-being as a consultant, educator, and researcher. 
 
Falay von Flittner is the founder of Falay Transition Design Collective, a network of multidisciplinary professionals dedicated to driving systemic change through tailored training and coaching programs. Under her leadership, the collective has pioneered the integration of design methods into broader societal transformation efforts.

Future material flows are expanding at the roadside

Ornamo also recognizes Iines Jakovlev, a recent graduate of the Master’s program in Design at Aalto University, with an award based on presentations from design institutions. The Ornamo Award 2024 Encouragement Prize, valued at €500, is presented in acknowledgment of Jakovlev’s innovative approach and contribution to advancing sustainable development in the field of design.

In her thesis, Jakovlev explores the dimensions of biomimetic design while investigating new fiber plants from local nature and roadside environments. Her work emphasizes the importance of bio-based and ecological solutions and material research in the future of design.

Materialisting provides sustainable material choices for professionals in interior design and construction

The Jury’s Honorable Mention is awarded to the platform service Materialisting, a start-up driving sustainability transformation in interior design and construction. Materialisting’s innovative carbon footprint measurement software helps interior designers and other built environment professionals make environmentally responsible material choices.

Founded in 2021 and operating in Joensuu and Helsinki, Materialisting aims to expand its platform to the European market. The jury highlighted Materialisting’s significant contribution to advancing sustainable development and the exceptional value it brings to the fields of design and construction.

The award will be accepted by the company’s CEO and founder, interior architect Hilda Rantanen.

The Ornamo Awards 2024 were presented at the opening event of Helsinki Design Week in September.

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You can find the press release photos and other materials for the award recipients here.