The 2011 Mitsubishi Chemical Junior Design Award winners were announced earlier this month, and feature some of the most promising and cutting edge ideas coming out of Japan from young designers.

The awards are aimed specifically at designers currently in university and entries are made from students submitting their senior thesis to a panel of experts. The entries include works from product design, graphic design, fashion design, multimedia, packaging, design and research design in general.

This year, first prize went to Toshiro Mori from Tama University, for his Formless Shape. Mori uses a nylon resin-based material that he is able to manipulate similarly to clay but that makes for a more delicate result. The  playful, rubber-like texture allows him to play with the form of the design so that it appears somewhat akin to a carbon fibre mesh.

Drawing influence from his natural environment Mori describes his creations as “without form”. “I thought that if I could find a shape of a unit that loosely connects and separates like the drops of water and snow flakes, I would be able to make a product in an indeterminate form like water and snow”.

Another winner that caught our eye was the “Cut Pull Inside Out” dress designed by Hiroyasu Megumi. She played with the changes in surface texture of the woven cotton to create a playful design that changes depending on the way it is worn.

For those new to the awards, it is worth taking a look at last year’s first prize winner, too, which again drew on the environmental theme. The winning design was by Takayuki Hori for his origami pieces. His piece aimed to highlight the struggle of certain species native to Japan in the face of environmental problems.

Unlike traditional origami, which uses plain paper, Hori uses a translucent paper on which the image of an animal skeleton is printed.  Cleverly, Hori also incorporates images of the hazardous waste discarded by the public that the animals often consume.

The result are x-ray like pieces that are fantastically intricate and delicate in appearance, a representation of the fragile balance of nature in today’s world. Hori successfully puts a modern twist on the traditional Japanese art of origami into his work to effectively drive through his message.

Awards like this are important outlets to highlight the works of up and coming designers that need promoting, and showcase the way a new generation of designers sees the world and addresses the problems or challenges they will face. It is worth checking out the full list of winners on the website here to get an idea of what tomorrows designs may look like.

Photos from Designboom