The Ville de Montréal, through its Bureau du design, has presented since 2008 the Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant to a Montréal designer or design collective with fewer than 10 years’ practice, and having demonstrated exceptional quality in studies and work as well as marked interest in the city, particularly Montréal.
The grant is named in honour of Phyllis Lambert, Great Montrealer, passionate champion of excellence in architecture and staunch defender of emerging designers. In naming the grant for Ms. Lambert, the Ville de Montréal seeks to underscore her remarkable contribution to the international reputation of Montréal and to the quality of life of its citizens, as well as the decisive influence she has had on the quality of urban planning, architecture and design in the city.
The grant must be used for a professional development project that:
- involves a design theme focusing on the city
- takes place in one of the cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network: Aswan, Egypt; Berlin, Germany; Bologna, Italy; Bradford, England; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Chengdu, Shangai and Shenzen, China; Dublin, Ireland; Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scotland; Gand, Belgium; Graz, Austria; Incheon and Seoul, South Korea; Iowa City and Santa Fe, United States; Lyon and Saint-Étienne, France; Melbourne and Sydney, Australia; Montréal, Canada; Nagoya, Kanazawa and Kobe, Japan; Ostersund, Sweden; Popayan, Colombia and Seville, Spain.
The professional development project may be in the form of:
- a study trip
- work internship
- participation in a design competition, workshop, symposium or any other activity relevant to the advancement of a nascent design career
A $10,000 award is given to the grant recipient. A further amount of $5,000 is added to the budget of the Bureau du design to fund activities promoting the grant recipient and dissemination of the project.
An independent jury made up of representatives recognized by the design community will study the eligible applications using the following assessment criteria:
- quality and relevance of the applicant’s profile (e.g., calibre of achievements, involvement in the community)
- interest and relevance of the grant’s contribution to the proposed project
- contacts already established and degree to which the proposal is realistic
- clarity of applicant’s work intentions
- presentation quality of the application documentation
The goals of the Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant are to:
- pay tribute to Phyllis Lambert, Great Montrealer, passionate champion of excellence in architecture and staunch defender of emerging designers
- recognize and promote the talents of emerging Montréal designers
- help enrich the career path of emerging designers and their professional development as they relate to design issues surrounding the city
- foster international networking and development of markets for emerging Montréal designers
- contribute to leadership and exchanges within the UNESCO Creative Cities Network
- promote the integration of emerging designers in professional settings
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stimulate initial professional recognition for emerging designers
