Skoda and Royal College of art team up to make trophy

Skoda has created a new industry award to recognise excellence in writing on the subject of concept vehicles and car design.

Along with the Vehicle Design Department of the Royal College of Art, the Czech carmaker created the ‘Laurin and Klement Design Writer of the Year Award’, which will be presented at the Guild of Motoring Writers dinner on the 13th of December. However, the trophy to be handed over at the annual industry event will be different to any other, having been designed and built by one of the world’s top future car designers.

Skoda presented first year students at the internationally renowned RCA Vehicle Design Department with a challenge: design a trophy that reflects not only the Czech firm’s design ethos, but is also unique and makes reference to the fact it’s being awarded to a journalist. Competition was fierce, but after much deliberation a winner was selected and the award built.

Jukka Rautiainen of Finland’s design was selected due to its simplicity and elegance. The ‘Speeding to the Future’ trophy depicts a wheel carving into the trophy base and has been engraved not only with the winners name, but also a brief history of Václav Laurin and Václav Klement – the firm’s founders and after whom the award was named. Jukka will get to spend a few days with Skoda’s chief designer Jens Manske as a reward for all his hard work.

Dale Harrow, Head of the RCA Vehicle Design Department, said: “The Royal College of Art is pleased to be involved with Skoda and the Laurin & Klement award. The winning trophy designed by Jukka Rautiainen shows how motoring, in this case expressed by the wheel rolling towards the future, has had such an impact on the world of journalism.”

Head of Skoda PR, Cathie Bell, added: “We have a long history in innovative car design and wanted to recognise journalists who help create a better understanding of the subject and bring it to a wider audience. The L&K award does just that and the trophy is also a piece of original design.”

The Laurin and Klement Award will be presented annually, with a new trophy being built each year.