It's not uncommon for automakers to discover new talent with competitions inviting students to envision the future design direction of a brand. After receiving hundreds of entries from around the world, Polestar has announced the winners of its first annual Design Contest, and some of them are absolutely bonkers.
Polestar asked professional and student designers to create a vision of future mobility with a "purity" theme. They were asked to design a new Polestar for the year 2040 that incorporates the Swedish automaker's design philosophy. Here's where things get more interesting: the design also didn't have to be a car. The winner of the professional category was Polish designer Konrad Cholewka who envisioned the "Polestar MMXL," an autonomous pod with a futuristic interior design and elements inspired by the Polestar Precept concept.
Indian designer Siddhesh Bhogale won the student category with his unique design dubbed the Polestar 40, which blends styling elements from the Polestar 1 and Polestar 2 with aviation technology. It's designed to be used by explorers and scientists as an environmentally friendly way to travel to the arctic.
An honorable mention went to Arthur Martins from Brazil for his Spanning electric yacht, envisioned as an alternative to conventional craft. Polestar also received designs for hypercars, personal mobility solutions, and watercraft. Designers initially submitted sketches that were assessed by Polestar's design team. 13 selected finalists were then invited to receive "remote coaching and guidance" from Juan Pablo Bernal and Maximilian Missoni, Polestar's Head of Design.
Each finalist was then required to create fully digital models of their concepts, which were then judged by Polestar's design team. "It was both inspirational and humbling to interact with so much emerging and experienced talent. The designs we saw evolve from creative sketches to 3D models show that the design world is a melting pot of exceptional individuals. We look forward to seeing these designers moving on to great things during their promising careers," said Missoni.
Polestar will create 1:5 scale models of the winning designs that will be shown in a virtual exhibition before being displayed at Polestar Spaces in China, Europe and North America.