An eco-friendly ruler, designed by a young student, is to be stocked at Maidstone Museum’s shop after the product’s design won a competition.
Maidstone Museums’ Foundation ran the competition by inviting local Primary and Secondary Schools to submit designs for a new retail product, with a promise that the winner would have their design on the museum shop’s shelves.
Earlier this year, eleven finalists designers and design groups visited Maidstone Museum with their prototype designs, for the museum called a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style presentation for a judging panel of museum staff.
The winner, Etty Winser from Wrotham School, created an eco-friendly ruler inspired by one of the museum’s exhibitions.
The school of the winning product is to receive £200 from Maidstone Museums’ Foundation and the school of each runner up is to receive £50.
Runner-up designs included museum themed keyrings, Japanese inspired hair combs, a Japanese themed storage box, and a Japanese inspired tote bag.
Cllr Claudine Russell, Cabinet Member for Communities, Leisure and Arts said: “This has been a really wonderful competition and a great way to encourage a love of history and design in our young people.
““One of our key aims is to raise the skills levels and earning potential of our residents, we hope by partnering with the Maidstone Museums’ Foundation we will be helping to do this.”
Competition judge Guy MacDonald, Maidstone Museums’ Foundation Education Trustee added: “We have been blown away by how high the standard has been of everyone who entered and we felt quite honoured to be involved in this competition and see such original designs.”
