The 2026 Frese Design Award goes to Bremen-based industrial designer Leon Butt

Leon Butt, a design graduate from Bremen, has won the 2026 Frese Design Prize with an innovative housing concept made from GRP hazardous waste. The 26-year-old master’s graduate from the University of the Arts Bremen was honoured for his project “Waste Becomes a Resource”. With a prize fund of 12,000 euros, the award is one of the most highly endowed university prizes in Germany and will be awarded in full to a single individual for the first time in 2026.

The award ceremony took place on 5 May 2026 as part of the exhibition “ID Select. Frese Design Prize” at the Wilhelm Wagenfeld Haus. For the first time, the nominated final projects are being presented in a dedicated museum exhibition. The exhibition can be viewed at the Wilhelm Wagenfeld Haus until 31 May 2026 inclusive.

With his project, Butt addresses two key challenges: dealing with hard-to-recycle GRP hazardous waste from wind turbines and the growing demand for affordable housing. He uses so-called hub covers from wind turbines to develop mobile, round tiny houses that can be used for holiday resorts, campsites or student accommodation, amongst other things. The design is based on existing industrial components and demonstrates how end-of-life materials can be transformed into sustainable usage concepts. The jury particularly commended the high level of feasibility as well as the combination of sustainability and design. “By extending the product lifecycle, Butt impressively demonstrates how design can act as a driving force for ecological and social transformation,” the jury stated in its reasoning.

Jannes Schmidt also received a commendation for his video work “Don’t Kill My Home”. In it, the Master’s graduate addresses the widespread practice of demolishing functional buildings and explores the loss of resources, living space and social structures. The jury particularly highlighted the poetic visual language. “With this film, Jannes Schmidt succeeds in creating a quiet yet all the more powerful narrative that calls for a new approach to our built environment,” said the jury.

The international jury for the Frese Design Prize 2026 comprises Dr Katerina Vatsella (independent curator, Bremen), Dr Julia Bulk (Director of the Wilhelm Wagenfeld Foundation, Bremen), Ganna Bauer (Visual Identities, Editorial Design, Berlin), Mikaela Dörfel (product design, Kiel) and Peter Wiesmann (fashion design, Paris/Geneva and Haute école d’art et de design (HEAD) Genève).

The Frese Design Prize has been awarded by the Petra and Dieter Frese Foundation since 2014 and supports emerging designers in Bremen. With the increase in the prize money to €12,000 and the new practice of awarding it to a single individual, the profile of the prize has been further enhanced. 

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Caption and credits: Frese Design Award winner Leon Butt, photo: © HfK Bremen/Anja Segermann

Bremen University of the Arts 
Gesa Jürß, M.A.
Press and Public Relations /
Cross-Media Editorial Team
Email: gjuerss@hfk-bremen.de
Telephone: 0421 9595 1037
www.hfk-bremen.de


Wilhelm Wagenfeld Stiftung
Kathrin Hager, M.A.
Research Assistant / Public Relations
Email: k.hager@wilhelm-wagenfeld-stiftung.de
Telephone: 0421 33 999 37
www.wilhelm-wagenfeld-stiftung.de