(Wismar/Venice) On Sunday evening, 18th October 2026, our Master’s graduate Luca Salmina, from the Interior Design programme at the Faculty of Architecture and Design at Hochschule Wismar, University of Applied Sciences, was presented with the European Product Design Award 2025 (EPDA) at the Palazzo Dandolo in Venice (Italy). He won in the category „Conceptual (Design only or Prototype) / Packaging Product Design / Student” with his design „HAKU Knife Packaging”. This forms part of his 2025 concept on the design of a knife manufactory. The project was supervised by Prof. Gerd Baron from the Interior Design programme and Prof. Henning Schellhorn from the Communication Design and Media programme.
The EPDA gala, featuring a cocktail reception and a three-course meal, took place during Venice Design Week and the 61st International Art Exhibition (Biennale Arte), which runs until the end of November 2026. As such, the trip to Venice offered Luca Salmina not only the chance to attend the awards ceremony but also a great opportunity to network and get to know the art and design scene.
Award-winning knife packaging: HAKU
The graduate currently lives in Hamburg. There, in 2025, as part of his design concept „HAKU Knife Manufactory”, he also developed a showroom for handcrafted knifes in the heart of HafenCity. His design combines the art of Japanese blacksmithing with modern design. Blanks at various stages of processing, a recessed information desk and high-quality materials are intended to bring the craft to life in his design.
Another part of the overall design is the HAKU knife packaging, which has now won an award in Venice. It can be transformed from a protective sleeve into a practical knife block, whilst also becoming a durable and functional design object. Several units can also be connected to one another magnetically and in a modular fashion. A sleeve containing care instructions and a certificate further emphasises the exclusivity of the knife block.
The name HAKU has different meanings in Japanese depending on the context. Salmina focuses on the meanings of „purity” and „mastery”, thereby emphasising the high quality of the craftsmanship and the product.
In the summer of 2026, Luca Salmina graduated with a Master’s degree in Interior Design at the Faculty of Architecture and Design’s graduation ceremony.
European Product Design Award™
The Farmani Group, based in Los Angeles (United States), established the European Product Design Award and has registered it as a trademark. Since the mid-1980s, the company has been dedicated to promoting art, photography, design and architecture. It organises numerous international award ceremonies, prizes, foundations and cultural initiatives.
The organiser’s website states that the Farmani Group established the EPDA to recognise the achievements of talented international product designers and their strategic thinking in the development of their products. It also aims to draw attention to international product and industrial design and to introduce the winners to a wide audience across Europe.
The organiser informed us back in May 2026 that entries for the EPDA 2025 had been submitted from around 80 different countries. Specific figures or statistics regarding the entries, prize-winners, award rates or the composition of the participants were not disclosed for data protection reasons. However, it was confirmed that several awards will be presented in the „Conceptual (Design only or Prototype)” category and that there will be a total of two awards in the „Packaging Product Design” category. All the competition’s winners are listed publicly on the organiser’s website.
We offer our warmest congratulations!