About 300 visual art students from 16 tertiary institutions across the country took part in this year’s student competition. To enter the competition, students created designs for coffee cups under the theme “A story in every cup”.
The student competition was launched last year in partnership with Vega. This initiative was established in an effort to connect and engage South Africans in a meaningful way. It provides a platform for young people to showcase their skills and help them along on their chosen career of choice.
The competition is structured into 3 steps where applicants had to
1. choose a story
2.-Use the design templates provided and bring that story to life.
3.Submit their designs to competition@designacup.co.za
Along with the design, applicants had to submit a motivational letter
Kabelo Diphoko who is an aspiring Multimedia Designer from Klerksdorp, North West won the competition. He received R100,000 towards his tuition fees at the North-West University and an all-expenses-paid coffee experience trip for two in Tanzania.“I entered the competition because I don’t have a bursary and when I first saw the prize reward it motivated me to enter and try my luck,” said Diphoko.
He received a lot of support from his family who encouraged his artistic journey from the onset, adding that his design for the Wild Bean Cafe competition drew inspiration from ubuntu, the spirit of giving and welcoming, which he values a lot.“What inspired my design was the diversity and ubuntu in South Africa which I value so much and I wanted to translate it visually in a way that people would relate to while enjoying their Wild Bean [Cafe] coffee,” added Diphoko.
Second place was taken by Gayla Raff who got a MacBook Pro and two-year Adobe licence. She said she heard about the competition from her lecturer and thought that this was a good opportunity.“I still cannot believe that I came second in this competition; it was such an incredible opportunity and awesome experience to be part of. With these two prizes, I plan on using them to their full advantage by continuing to create and design,” said Raff. She noted that her design underpinned the significance of tradition and culture in South Africa.
Ashton Heldsinger from Cape Peninsula University for Technology in Cape Town took the third position, and also won a MacBook Pro.
“I decided to take a chance as I had nothing to lose and it was for a well-known international company. I live life as humble as possible. I come from a single-parent home and therefore always want to be the best in everything that I do. I plan to use the prize for my study and freelance work,” commented Heldsinger. Her visuals drew from the story of evolution of South African music from drumbeats to the modern gqom.
