14-16 CATEGORY

DAN KIMBER, BRIGHTON COLLEGE

Brighton College student Dan Kimber’s desk lamp won praise from the judges for its high-quality finish and application of modern technology.

An avid motorsport fan, Dan drew upon the Brighton pier for inspiration while designing his innovative lamp, which is fully adjustable, doesn’t cast a shadow and uses long-life LEDS located inside the struts that don’t heat up the copper squares.

Although he has plans to continue to develop his concept, Dan’s long-term goal is to emulate the likes of design guru Adrian Newey and one day leave his mark on Formula 1.

“The initial brief was either to make a lamp or a storage unit and the lighting really appealed to me,” he said. “It’s fully moveable with the hinges on the top, it allows for clear light across your whole desk and a dimmable switch means you can have a range of different light levels, depending on the work that you’re doing.

“I can’t believe that I actually won and I’m excited to see what it will lead me onto. Engineering is the field I would like to work in. I’ve taken a particular recent interest in manufacturing, but also I’ve always had a long interest in F1 and car design.

“I would just encourage people to be proud of what you’ve made and don’t be afraid to push your teacher on what you want to make, because they will be more than happy for you to go for it as long as you show the willingness and dedication to make it a reality.”