“Check-Mate” Design Competition: Winners Announced! July 11, 2012

This is an updated version of an article originally published on July 11th, 2012.
-- The proverbial checkered flag has dropped for the “Check-Mate” Design Competition, and after all was said and done, some clear winners were at the head of the pack. In addition to picking up enviable prizes, this competition gave several entrants an extra serving of bragging rights with the publication of their work in the next edition of the MINI International magazine. See the winning entries here. The MINI Space community got truly creative with the checkered-themed challenge, applying the iconic motif to an impressive array of visual concepts. From classic kitchen floors to even metaphorical interpretations of checkered architecture, we saw plenty of innovative takes on this deceptively simple theme. Without further ado, here are our favorites. Jury Prize 1: MacBook Pro
Checkered Doors by Abdul Cader, Hong Kong
Checkered Doors by Abdul Cader is a wonderful clash of colors, patterns, and moods that play off one another in a single stunning photograph. In addition to the warmth of the pink wall, the snapshot is filled with subtleties in things like shadow and contrast that managed to capture a sense of time and place as much as it did our attention. Jury Prize 2: The New iPad
Racing Waffle by Liz Skaggs, USA Simple, playful, and delicious – Liz Skaggs won us over with her entry, Racing Waffle. It looks as if it just popped out of a checkerboard toaster, and had some members of the team wishing they hadn’t skipped breakfast. Drizzle some maple syrup and serve with bacon and OJ and you’ve got a morning meal fit for race day! Popular Vote Prize: iTunes Giftcard for appx 100 songs
Check Yourself by Dave Ernst, USA This piece is full of attitude. Dave Ernst put to work a small crew of various typographies in Check Yourself to apply a playful message against a familiar checkerboard backdrop. Witty and to the point, it’s clear why Dave’s top notch design won over the crowd. And with detail like the checkered decal at the bottom of the MINI door, the MINI Space Team was plenty impressed, too.   “Check-Mate” had the added bonus of a shot at some free press. Check out these works by the lucky entrants who will have their work printed in the next edition of The MINI International magazine. -- Article Update (April 4th, 2013) After the "Check-Mate" winners were announced, it came to our attention that the first place entry was in violation of our competition rules. MINI Space values its community above all else, and as such, the original winning entry "PapiloChessBoard" has been disqualified retroactively. We'd like to thank our informed and active MINI Space community for bringing this matter to light, and upholding the creative integrity of our design competitions.