This year, during the Pescara Conference, awards were given to the best research presented in the Ideas session, dedicated to researchers under 40. Here are the awarded prizes, with the jury’s motivations, composed of discussants who introduced and coordinated the three categories.

Pepetto Di Bucchianico and Pete Kercher for the People category, Lucia Rampino and Simone D’Alessandro for the Contexts category, Daniela Piscitelli and Gabriele Giacomini for the Disciplines category.

Thanks to them and congratulations to the winners!

IDEAS

PEOPLE category

1st ex aequo

Future Wireframes. Shared Visions through Speculative Design  

Xavier Ferrari Tumay

Reason: For the completeness of the idea, from analysis to synthesis to the resulting proposal, capturing the sense of diversity in its holistic dimension, in a concept that can be immediately translatable into a concrete project.

1st ex aequo 

Inclusive Visualization. Tools and languages of communication design for democratic access to information.

Michela Rossi

Reason: For the linear and clear idea, aimed at applying the fundamental, and too often underestimated, principles of transparent and understandable communication, and therefore democratic, aimed at the well-being of a society founded on profound human diversity.

IDEAS

CONTEXTS category

1st

Sustainable Scenarios for Digital Ecosystems.

Annapaola Vacanti, Michele De Chirico, Carmelo Leonardi

Reason: The research group managed to balance thematic originality, expository ability, and quality of the video presentation. Furthermore, the methodology was analytically detailed in phases: from desk research to mapping; from identifying impact evaluation indicators to the experimental implementation of a pilot case.

2nd

Ritual as a design research tool to explore the cultural and symbolic dimension of entomophagy.

Cecilia Padula, Arianna Cattaneo, Laura Pirrone

Reason: An original research project in thematic choice and, at the same time, mature from a methodological standpoint. The interdisciplinary path between Design and Anthropology is interesting, finding a clear synthesis in the attempt to understand ancient and new forms of rituality as levers for changing habits.

IDEAS

DISCIPLINES category

1st

Cyborg Fashion. Designing fashion with artificial intelligence.

Paolo Franzo, Margherita Tufarelli

Reason: For the ability to integrate a clear and comprehensive theoretical reflection with the identification of a convincing, plausible, and relevant research idea for the future of the discipline. The video vividly illustrates the potential trajectory of the idea on the role of artificial intelligence in fashion design.