The Trophy: Hard won and by many. Produced by Motorola Prototyping Services

Today is the big day. We begin our 10-day global journey of live broadcast announcements for the Core77 Design Awards. To commemorate the work of the recipients of this year's awards, we invited New York-based design studio Rich Brilliant Willing to create the inaugural Core77 Design Awards Trophy. Their approach was to design an artifact that could be employed in the creation of multiples, honoring the kind of group effort that designers and their clients engage in every day. "We were inspired by a 'mold' as an image and symbol of manufacturing and design."For our studio this was an honor and an incredibly challenging brief. The aim: to create a form whose sole primary function is symbolic, and yet without an overt sense of reference. We explored many non-physical awards, experiences and unconventional award formats.

We were inspired by a mold as an image and symbol of manufacturing and design. In our discussions with Core77, we came to realize one pitfall of many trophies is that they are shared by groups, but the trophy itself is not divisible among the group. It would be fair if the award could in some way recognize the various contributors, beyond symbolic meaning alone. The trophy has a functional value, winning teams can create ingots from the trophy, and give away these cast facsimiles to their collaborators.

As the award took shape in the form of a mold we liked the idea of using metal. We researched a variety of metals and processes to determine options that were appropriate to the context. Our conclusion is that winners will receive an award that is a milled aluminum billet, of a significant size, heft, permanence (which also offers recyclability if ever desired). Winners can cast their own ingots from their aluminum mold, the ingot material is up to the user, wax, chocolate, silicone, there are quite a few options and the trophy itself is sufficiently durable to experiment.

Like the awards program itself, Motorola understands the value of design intent, quality execution and time. Working with Motorola Prototyping Services to create the inaugural Core77 Design Awards trophy has been an exciting process and we hope the design of the trophy will inspire our recipients to share the award with their collaborators. You, too, can take advantage of the rapid prototyping technologies that have helped Motorola develop and launch award-winning products. Visit www.oneprototype.com.