The prize committee's reasoning is as follows: “Harri Koskinen is one of the foremost designers now occupied with the task of continuing the Nordic design tradition. His extensive, wide-ranging body of work has a unique, austere design that is consistently expressed with clear Nordic roots in its demands for good function and simplicity of form, as well as in the choice of materials. These elements combine to create lasting value. At the same time as he enjoys successful partnerships with design-intensive companies around the world, he is also participating in the renewal of his homeland’s design industry.”
The prize will be ceremoniously awarded at the University of Gothenburg on the 4th of November and will be followed by an exhibition at the Röhsska Museum from the 5th of November 2009 until spring 2010.
The prize of SEK 1,000,000 is the largest design prize in the world.
