By Andrea Lillo
LOS ANGELES–An in-sink dish mat became the first-place winner in the second-annual “simple solutions student design competition” sponsored by simplehuman, the designer and manufacturer of cleaning, organization and recycling products. Approximately 200 entries were submitted nationwide.
Meghan McNeil, a senior at Kendall College of Art and Design, received a $5,000 scholarship from simplehuman for her winning entry, called “Dirty Dish Mat.” Designed to control dirty dish clutter in the sink, the mat makes it is easy to organize dishes in the sink and prevent breakage from over-stacking. It also has a built-in drain stopper so that the sink can be drained.
The Legada Fruit Spire from Purdue University graduate Brad Gressel took second place, winning him a $500 gift certificate to simplehuman. With his sculptural fruit bowl, fruit is put in from the top so that the freshest pieces are at the top, while the older ones are toward the bottom and should be eaten first.
Tying for third place and each receiving a $250 gift certificate to simplehuman was Nicole van der Lugt, a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and Jonathan Stebila, a senior at Kendall College of Art and Design. Van der Lugt designed a dog food scoop and dish combination, while Stebila created a grocery bag bin that stores plastic grocery bags within the trash can for convenience.
“The breadth of this year’s entries exceeded last year’s, making the decision process particularly tough,” said Frank Yang, chief designer and chief executive officer of simplehuman. “It showed us that our goal of this contest—to foster creativity in making day-to-day living more efficient—was truly achieved.”