Cosentino Group is inviting Australians design, architecture and interior architecture students to enter its annual global competition.

After launching in the Australian market earlier this year, the Spanish supplier of quartz and other natural stone surfaces is now looking for local schools to partner with for next year’s competition.

The 2012 International Cosentino Design Challenge aims to foster the talent of students, promoting research into the various conceptual approaches to the layout of spaces, materials and the construction systems that define them.

Entries can be submitted by students who are enrolled in the 2011-2012 academic year at any school or centre of higher education for design, architecture or interior architecture. The competition will close on 1 June 2012.

Every year the competition offers two categories for students to enter; Architecture and Design. The basic principle governing every entry must be respect for the environment, using Silestone and/or ECO by Cosentino materials.

This year’s challenge for the Design category is to design a shower tray integrated into a singular bathroom, using Silestone and/or Eco by Cosentino. Students in the Architecture category will need to provide a new design, or renovation, for a hotel lobby with large-format custom pieces of Silestone and/or Eco by Cosentino making full use of 100 per cent of the panel.

There are three first prizes of $1,374 AUD each for both categories, totalling $8,255 AUD in prize money. There will also be special mentions in each category. The jury will be made up of figures of recognised prestige in the world of architecture and design.

In its sixth year, The Cosentino Design Challenge has established partnerships with European schools including: Design Academy Eindhoven (Netherlands), Istituto Europeo di Design Milan (Italy), Madrid School of Architecture, Barcelona School of Architecture, Escuela de Arte 4 Madrid, School of Architecture Sevilla and the School of Art Almería.

For further information

Website: www.cosentinodesignchallenge.org

E-mail: [email protected]