The public has spoken! Announcing the Sketch-A-Space contest winners
by Patricia
We received hundreds of votes in this year’s Sketch-A-Space contest, supported by Google SketchUp. The focus for this year’s Sketch-A-Space contest was employment and individuals with autism, and we definitely raised awareness of this issue among the design community — we were super excited to have several entries from individuals on the spectrum. Our panel of judges selected three finalists based on their eye for design and creativity, their proficiency with the SketchUp software, and how their design might contribute to future/current employment. We then asked the public to vote on their favorite design to determine how we award the prizes.
Now the votes are in! Congratulations to this year’s winners…
- GRAND PRIZE WINNER: Kala Letts. Kala is a recent graduate of the Virginia Tech Interior Design program. She hopes to continue bringing awareness to the benefits of design and sustainability on the lives of everyone in the built environment.
- SECOND PLACE WINNER: Clay Damron.
Clay is a high school junior who enjoys playing tennis, creating digital artwork, and working with computers. He started using SketchUp around six years ago when the Google 3D Warehouse had just started. He’s interested in career paths in architecture, game development or web design. - THIRD PLACE WINNER: Jonathan Anderson. Jon Anderson, a freelance architectural designer from Minnetonka, Minnesota, describes architecture as the art of light and materials formed by the necessities of shelter and structure: the perfect blend of art and mechanics. His Sketch-A-Space model was inspired by ruins.
Thank you to everyone who participated and voted in this competition! You have helped draw attention to the employment needs of individuals with autism. And once again, congrats to Kala, Clay and Jon: you really are winners!