Montréal (Canada) - The Mayor of Montréal, Gérald Tremblay, is pleased to announce the call for applications for the annual Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant. Destined for young design professionals, this grant aims to acknowledge and promote the talent of emerging Montréal designers and foster their professional recognition.

The winner will receive a $10,000 award to fund a professional development project in one of the cities of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, of which Montréal is a member. A promotional campaign will also be organised to raise awareness of the winner among his or her industry peers as well as the general public.

"I am proud to support and promote the growth of our young designers. We hope that by its support of a professional development initiative, this grant will provide a major boost in advancing a design career for the winner, and will promote integration of the next generation of creators into the industry," the Mayor said.

"Indeed, UNESCO has acknowledged the immense creative potential of our designers, through its designation of Montréal as a UNESCO City of Design, based on the fact that talent is so strongly concentrated here. In encouraging exchanges between designers from here and abroad, along with the development of international networks and markets, the City of Montréal is not only lending its support to emerging designers, but also helping to energise and strengthen the Creative Cities Network, making it more vital and tangible."

The Phyllis Lambert Design Montréal Grant rewards the talent of a young Montréal designer with fewer than 10 years' professional practice, and having demonstrated exceptional quality in studies and work as well as marked interest in the city. The grant must be used to fund a professional development project - for example, a study trip, a work internship, participation in a design competition, workshop, or symposium or any other activity relevant to the advancement of a nascent design career.

The first grant was awarded last year to Philippe Lamarre, graphic designer, publisher and co-founder of both the Toxa design studio and Urbania magazine, for his project to create a collaborative website documenting the visual heritage of three UNESCO Cities of Design: Berlin, Buenos Aires and Montréal.

In honour of Phyllis Lambert
Created by the City of Montréal in 2008, the grant is named in honour of Phyllis Lambert, a great Montrealer and staunch defender of emerging designers. It underscores her remarkable contribution to the international reputation of Montréal and to the quality of life of its citizens, as well as the decisive influence she has had on the quality of urban planning, architecture, heritage and design in the city.

Application procedure
Interested candidates must submit their files no later than 16:30, 14 April 2009, to the following address:

Bourse Phyllis-Lambert Design Montréal
Ville de Montréal
Bureau Design Montréal
303, rue Notre-Dame Est, 6e étage
Montréal, Québec H2Y 3Y8
Canada

The application form and eligibility criteria are available on the designmontreal.com website. A jury made up of representatives recognised by the design community will evaluate each eligible application on the basis of its quality and the interest of the proposed project. The announcement of the winner will be made in June.

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For more information, please contact:

Stéphanie Jecrois
Design Montréal
t: +1 514 872 5388
w: designmontreal.com