The commercial radio industry has launched a competition to find the best and most innovative design for a digital radio of the future.

Joan Warner, CEO of Commercial Radio Australia, says radio has come a long way since families used to sit huddled around the big old wireless in the lounge room.

“Technology now allows radios to come in all shapes and sizes, whether incorporated into mobile phones or the latest pocket receivers.

“We want to encourage the best Australian design for a digital radio, which combines style with functionality, and makes the most of the technology’s new features and potential capabilities.”

Warner says radio design through history has ranged from the early crystal sets of the 1920s – to the plastic age after World War II, which allowed high creativity in radio design – to the 70s, which saw an explosion in novelty radios – to the latest models, exemplified by the revolutionary Bug, devised by British designer, Wayne Hemingway

With ongoing trials in Sydney, digital is being hailed as the biggest change for radio since the introduction of FM. Digital radio offers increased listener interactivity and colour LCD screens for the broadcast of scrolling text and images such as pictures and traffic maps.

Warner says despite recent innovation, the design of available digital radio receivers does not allow full use of the capabilities of the technology, and the industry is working with manufacturers to encourage further development. The competition is limited to university students, studying industrial design in Sydney, as the industry is not conducting the trials in any other cities at the moment. There is a possibility of a national competition in future years.

More information about the competition and entry forms can be found via the link below. Entries need to be submitted as illustrations by 30 September. Selected entries will be displayed at the CRA Annual Conference on 15 October and the winner will be announced in November.