Nippon Paint crowned Young Hui Qi from UCSI University and Zachary Ding Tok from City University of Malaysia as design champions, respectively in the Architectural and Interior Design categories of the 2022 Asia Young Designer Awards (AYDA).  

The two young students will represent Malaysia in a final competition against 15 other geographical  locations for the ‘Asia Young Designer of the Year’ title next year, alongside a spot at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the United States of America. Winners of AYDA will get the opportunity  to spend three weeks in Harvard School of Design which is part of the main price. Other participating  geographical locations include Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia,  Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkiye (formerly known as Turkey) and Vietnam. 

“AYDA has always been committed to nurturing young talents in architectural and interior design to become individuals capable of constant adaptation. That said, design paradigms are always changing according to the needs of society. It is thus important for designers to constantly be critical and  innovative to meet current market demands,” said Datin Wong Meng Lee, Assistant General Manager of Marketing at Nippon Paint Malaysia. 

“Nippon Paint is proud to present the top two young designers that will represent Malaysia in the finals. Hui Qi and Zachary were able to utilise their critical and creative thinking skills to come up with designs that has the potential of uplifting society. We hope they continue their current momentum and attain new heights in this competition,” she added. 

Sharing their dreams and hopes, Hui Qi said that it has always been her dream to go to join the camp in Harvard and it is like a dream come true. “I know that it will be tough going against designers from  Japan where their country is known worldwide for their simple and minimalistic, yet amazing elements incorporated in. I hope I can make my family, university and AYDA Malaysia proud by winning this round through my “Unity” project,” she said.  

Meanwhile, Zachary who incorporated his identity as a Sarawakian through his design “Kamek” which means “I” hopes to bring his culture to the international stage. “It has always been my dream to expose the beauty of my culture to the world. We see Balinese or Japanese inspired architecture everywhere, but we see less of us in our own country. And that is what I want to showcase to the world,” he said. 

Meanwhile, AYDA’s chief judges for Architectural and Interior Design, Ar. Sarly Adre Sarkum and IDr Ooi Boon Seong shared the sentiment for this year’s participants where they had showcased strong determination and fresh new ideas that has reshaped the normal boundaries of design and architecture. 

“AYDA has served its purpose to nurture young talents and open doors for them to challenge themselves not just at a local level but also internationally. I wish to see another Malaysian win the trip to Harvard, and with that, I wish Zachary and Hui Qi all the best,” they said.  

Parked under Nippon Paint’s Colouring Lives initiative, AYDA Awards 2022/2023 is themed ‘CONVERGENCE: Pushing the Reset Button’ to challenge participants to think outside the box and  merge man-made structure with personal rejuvenation and healing needs. 

With the theme of amplifying empathy through design, AYDA aims to encourage designers to be agile to the ever-changing demands of consumers while making the most of commercial values and taking care of the environment as well as its inhabitants. Keeping this in mind, the creations that come out  from the awards this year are bound to set the bar of what is expected of future designers and thinkers. 

Since 2008, the AYDA Awards has provided a creative and impact-driven platform for architects and  designers. This year, AYDA Awards 2022/2023 received an astounding number of 1,101 entries in  Malaysia from 58 colleges and universities across Malaysia, strengthening AYDA Award’s reputation as a highly recognised award among the design community. 

Nippon Paint also provides students with the funds they need to pursue their education at Harvard GSD through the Gennosuke Obata Fellowship Fund. As believers of long-term collaborations, Nippon Paint will be connected to Harvard GSD’s alumni around the world to allow more collaboration between Harvard GSD and AYDA in the future. 

Since AYDA was launched 14 years ago, it has then grew to be an important part of Nippon Paint’s vision to nurture future generations of talents in the ID and architecture landscape. Over the past 10 years, it has collaborated with one of Malaysia’s top developers IJM Land Bhd to continue empowering and grooming budding architects and interior designers across Asia with the aim to become an active advocate to cultivate talents for a better future. 

For this year, it had garnered 1,101 submissions from 52 learning institutions across the country.  

Be part of the AYDA Awards 2022/2023 experience by following the AYDA Facebook page AYDA Malaysia or visit www.asiayoungdesignerawards.com for more information today.