Gifted Student Architect Wins N500,000 Cash Prize At Design Week Lagos 2021
Folasope Pinheiro, a student of the University of West England has emerged as the winner of the Design Kulture Student Competition – a competition to showcase and reward Nigerian students with outstanding designs. The competition was part of the events to commemorate Design Week Lagos, the annual citywide celebration of local and international designers, architects and the creative industry.
Folasope Pinheiro won the competition with his design titled “Oja-Oba”, a Yoruba phrase which means, “The King’s Market” and was presented with a cash prize of N500,000.00 by MTN Nigeria.
Speaking at the award ceremony, the Sponsorship and Promotions Manager, MTN Nigeria, Njide Ken-Odogwu, spoke on MTN’s support for African arts and culture and expressed hope that the competition would encourage other young artists to find their voice. “MTN’s decision to support Design Week Lagos is due to the scope of the project which encompasses the broad spectrum of arts and culture, from architecture to interior design and fashion design. As a Nigerian company, we are passionate about African culture and are excited at any opportunity to brighten the lives of our customers. We hope that this competition would encourage young artists to find their voice in the arts and culture space leading to more innovative projects,”commented Ken-Odogwu.
Receiving the cash gift on behalf of Folasope Pinheiro, his mother, Honourable Justice Yetunde Pinheiro, appreciated the organisers of Design Week Lagos and MTN Nigeria. “I know Folasope put a lot of effort into getting this done, and I am delighted he made it as the winner. I would like to appreciate the organisers of this project because without them, it would not have been possible. I have to congratulate the other winners here and most importantly I would like to appreciate MTN for their support towards the project,”she said.
Folasope Pinheiro acknowledged the contributions of his friends, Seyi Oyesiku who assisted him with visualisation and Folarin Adefemi, who provided him with critical feedback, describing them as “valuable team members’.
Design Week Lagos is the leading design week on the African continent, conceived to present and celebrate the best in contemporary African design across diverse art categories while bringing visitors from across the world to experience the most exciting works in African design.
