The complete list of finalists for the 2021 Lexus Design Award has been released to the public, with two New Zealanders eligible to win the prize for their unique creations.

The first is Gayle Lee, who was jointly nominated with Jessica Vea, who is Tongan but based in New Zealand, for their Heartfelt creation. The device, which was thought up with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in mind, aims to assist with the emotional difficulty of being isolated from loved ones. The co-designers have both recently graduated with a Bachelor in Creative Technologies from the Auckland University of Technology, and are hoping to begin masters study in the same field this year.

Dual citizen Henry Glogau was the other Kiwi to earn a place in the finals for his Solar Desalination Skylight, which makes use of solar energy and seawater to not only produce light and drinking water for coastal informal settlements, but also salt brine that can be used for energy creation. Based in Denmark, Glogau is a recent graduate of the Royal Danish Academy in Copenhagen with a masters in Architecture and Extreme Environments, and is currently working at GXN, the green innovation unit of architectural firm 3XN.

Click here to find out more about the Lexus Design Award and see all of this year’s finalists.