Dezeen has launched an unofficial competition to redesign the document that all UK citizens carry when travelling abroad. They’re looking for designs that present a positive vision of the post-Brexit UK to the world, and that represent all its citizens.
There is a top prize of £1000 for the winning design plus £500 for second place and £250 for third place. The competition is free to enter.
"We'd love to see entries from Africa. Given the long and often tumultuous history between the UK and the continent it would be great to see how African creatives view Britain's place in the world today. Since we are not sure of it ourselves, we need your help!" says Marcus Fairs, Dezeen founder and editor-in-chief and long-time Design Indaba media partner.
Citizens of the UK (which consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) currently carry a European Union passport with a burgundy soft cover. The royal coat of arms, printed in gold, adorns the front while the back is plain.
However following last summer's vote to leave the European Union, the UK government said it was "considering potential changes" to the passport, although it admitted it had not "made any decisions about what a future UK passport might look like." Or a future UK…
Some people have called for a return to the stiff, dark blue passport cover used before the UK joined the European Economic Community. But Brexit could be an opportunity to rethink the document and turn it into something that reflects the identity and aspirations of the UK.
The competition is open to everyone, anywhere in the world. There is no entry fee. We hope to get entries from people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds.
All entries must be received by Friday 24 March. For more information on how to enter and the judging criteria visit the Dezeen website.
Winners will be selected by a jury consisting of:
Deyan Sudjic, director of the Design Museum in London
Rohan Silva, founder of Second Home and former government policy adviser
Margaret Calvert, graphic designer
Oliver Wainwright, architecture and design critic for The Guardian;
Anita Taylor, dean of Bath School of Art and Design and chair of the Council for Higher Education in Art and Design
Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Art, Craft and Design in Education
Marcus Fairs, founder and editor-in-chief of Dezeen
The winning designs will be published on Dezeen and exhibited at the Design Museum in London. A wider selection of entries will be shown at Clerkenwell Design Week in London in May 2017.
