Shining Light Awards 2020/2021

Shining Light Awards 2020/2021An opportunity for young aspiring jewellery designers to showcase their artwork The competition invites young jewellery designers from Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. The awards platform forms part of the De Beers Group Designers initiative (DBGDI), a youth beneficiation skills development initiative. Monique Adams





Namibia has been involved in the Shining Light Awards since 2008. The competition has been regarded as a getaway for young designers to gain access to the global diamond jewellery market, which has evolved over the years, moving away from a jewellery design competition focused on designing and producing beautiful pieces.

Three winners will be selected from each country and will stand a chance to win a 12-month post-graduate programme at Politecnico di Milano in Milan, a 12-month artisanal goldsmith training programme in South Africa and a three-month exposure in a De Beers Group business unit.

“This competition aims to expose young individuals in the diamond chain of the world. It is an empowering opportunity. By the end of their submissions, the students will leave with a business perspective, so it is about creating entrepreneurs in the industry,” Pat Dambe, vice-president of corporate affairs and government relations at De Beers Global Sight holder Sales, said.

The design theme for this year’s competition is ‘The Evolution of Love and Life’, which aims to inspire young designers to create innovative pieces to showcase their interpretation of the theme.

It should be versatile and commercialised with red carpet elegance, celebrate fresh thinking, and showcase the beauty and sustainability of natural diamonds, which should appeal to the millennial consumer anywhere in the world.

“The 2020/2021 Shining Light Awards theme was birthed form the current global context and sends a powerful message of hope and resilience at a time when the world continues to evolve and innovate at lightning speed, humankind continues to search for meaning and gain strength through our traditions, our culture and our passions that have made us resolute for centuries, now more than ever celebrating love and life, Dambe said.

For Namibia, the awards are also perfectly positioned to support the Harambee Prosperity Plan’s pillars on improving vocational training, as well as youth development and skills development.

They are open for entries, so be sure to visit their website at shininglightawards.com.