While 3D printing brings change in many industries such as healthcare or manufacturing, its impact also extends into the sphere of art and design as well. Technological innovations along with the variety of available materials bring new dimensions to creation. This has also been evident in the designs of various trophies, prizes, and awards. Design shapes and material possibilities that were once merely in the realm of fantasy or too costly are suddenly feasible. We have selected the most interesting ones that we have helped bring to life.

National Prize for Communication Design

The National Prize for Communication Design is awarded every two years in several categories. The competition is organized by the Slovak Design Center, and the designer of the award is Martin Bajaník. It was produced using FDM technology, with PLA material in three different shades of gray. The award is completely 3D printed and consists of two parts that are glued together. The print size is 160 x 160 x 165 mm.

Anton Srholec Freedom Award

The Anton Srholec Freedom Award is dedicated to individuals who tirelessly fought for freedom and democracy. We have been assisting in producing this award since 2019, and the designer of the award is artist Jozef Kurinec. The award represents the movement of a jump divided into individual stages. It draws inspiration from photographs by the founder of chronophotography, Eadweard Muybridge. Due to small details and surface quality requirements, selective laser sintering (SLS) and PA12 powder material were chosen. The print is placed on glass on a wooden base. The print size is 57 x 115 x 200 mm.

Prize of the regions

The Association of Self-Governing Regions of Slovakia (SK8) announces the Regions Prize to support, highlight, and thank active residents in Slovakia’s regions for their exceptional contribution to the development of self-governing regions and municipalities. The award was designed by artist Miroslav Trubač and represents eight intertwined rays forming the number eight. It was produced using metal powder 3D printing, DMLS technology, and 316L stainless steel material. The print size is 120 x 100 x 280 mm.

Golden Unicorn Award

Atrios real estate company aims to acknowledge the work of its employees with the intriguing Golden Unicorn Award. It was printed on a resin printer using detailed plastic material and painted with a gold finish. The unicorn is affixed to a stone base with engraved text. The print size is 132 x 30 x 135 mm, and with the base, the size is 132 x 50 x 185 mm.

KODA

For the hackathon focused on digital art commerce Kodadot, we created three unique awards using manufacturing technologies little bit different from 3D printing. Each award is unique. The main part consists of 5 mm plexiglass with the engraved inscription “KODA” and a grid raster. The plexiglass was heated and manually bent. It was crucial to heat the plastic correctly to avoid boiling while ensuring it was soft enough to bend. Each plexiglass was then placed into a CNC milled wooden stand and illuminated. The engraved parts act as light guides, highlighting the graphics when turned on. The award size is 280 x 80 x 330 mm.

Art Without Sexism

The Civil Association Without Sexism, which promotes human and women’s rights and gender equality in Slovakia, created an anti-award targeting the issuers of the most sexist advertisements in public and online spaces in Slovakia. The award was made using SLS powder technology with PA12 material containing aluminum. In this case, the focus was not so much on the material properties but rather on its metallic appearance. The print size is 120 x 120 x 120 mm.