More than 140 students were invited to submit their initial designs to the judging panel which includes: Dr Eujin Pei, programme director for Brunel University’s BSc Product Design and BSc Product Design Engineering courses; Bert Beagley Brown, founder of TOG Knives; David Morris, editor of Design Exchange and Arnt Kristian Barsten and Ian Luzmore from Kebony. The standard of entries for this competition was exceptionally high and testament to the prestige of Brunel University’s design programmes.

The judges assessed the entries on the originality of the concept, the innovative use of Kebony wood and the project viability. The five shortlisted candidates will now be provided with a sample of Kebony wood and a further £200 to spend on additional materials to execute their final designs. These will be judged at the end of May and the winner will receive a £1,000 cash prize.

The shortlisted candidates are: Maria Beatriz Inacio, Jake Chamberlin, Alex Dsouza, Ollie Singleton and Kaelum Van Der Berg.