Announcing the Winners of 3D Printing Industry’s Trophy Design Competition and Exclusive Printing Discounts

The 2023 3D Printing Industry Awards returned to celebrate excellence in additive manufacturing. This year’s nominees and distinguished guests from across the 3D printing world gathered in London to learn who would win the trophies created especially for the event.

Since the 3DPI Awards were launched in 2016, the winner’s trophy has always been designed by a member of the 3D printing community, selected via a design competition. We are incredibly grateful to 3DPRINTUK for supporting the 2023 3D Printing Industry Awards trophy design competition as our production partner, Thangs, who hosted the design competition, and AnkerMake, who generously provided the design competition winner with an AnkerMake MC5 3D printer.

“AnkerMake is thrilled to witness the convergence of creativity, innovation, and passion that each creator brings to the 2023 3DPI Awards this year. The design competition not only showcases the remarkable talents of aspiring creators but also pushes the boundaries of what is possible in 3D printer design. Our commitment is to empower artists, inventors, hobbyists, and DIY enthusiasts with a practical and seamless tool to breathe life into their brilliant ideas and make it real. Congratulations to every creative endeavor.” said Frank Zhu, General Manager of AnkerMake.

The 2023 3D Printing Industry Awards. Photo by 3D Printing Industry.

The winner of the 2023 3D Printing Industry Awards Trophy Design Competition

After a lengthy discussion, the winning design was RWB Designs with their Tilted Hexagon trophy design.

“3DPRINTUK was proud to be chosen to sponsor the manufacturing of the awards and look forward to doing it again in the future,” said Nick Allen founder and director of 3DPRINTUK.

On the victorious design, Nick Allen stated, “In this year’s 3DPI 2023 awards, there was an impressive array of choices, with many designs illustrating remarkable aesthetics and extreme complexities that could only be accomplished through additive manufacturing. The final design was selected as it followed the brief perfectly in terms of form, manufacturability, and attractiveness – a well-deserved congratulations to RWB Design!”

3DPRINTUK is extending a single-use 10% discount until the 31st of January, 2024. Use the “3DPI2023” code to avail of these savings.

Thangs’s co-founder and CEO, Paul Powers, expressed, “Coordinating with the 3D Printing Industry this year and organising the 3D Printing Industry Awards trophy competition was an absolute delight. Observing the creativity in this community was astounding: designers amalgamating printing techniques, showcasing technology, and underscoring 2023 industry trends – it was genuinely noteworthy.”

Thangs is offering a “buy one month get one month free” deal to readers, accessible with the “3DPIBOGO” code until the 31st of December, 2023.

3DPI Awards 2023: The Winning Trophy Designers

Along with the first prize of the AnkerMake MC5, Thangs presented gift cards that can be used with Matterhackers or 3DJake and promotion codes from Thangs to the ones who came second and third.

The top three designers shared about their journey.

RWB Designs, the winner of the design contest, comes from a lineage of entrepreneurs and has always preferred doing his own business rather than working in a typical office environment. “I got introduced to 3D printing quite early and was instantly attracted to its capability of fostering creativity. It has been a crucial part of my life since then,” he narrates. “Around a year ago, I decided to merge my love for entrepreneurship and 3D design to give birth to RWB Designs, LLC, an entity through which I publish my 3D printable innovations. I am passionate about creating everything, and my design library is presently comprised of over 150+ models that vary from house decor to artistic structures, toys, and several print-in-place models.”

“The design idea for the trophy was influenced by the fact it was to be awarded at the 3D Printing Industry Awards. The focus on additive space made me gravitate towards the trophy’s central pillars. Each set of pillars is unique in form and none of them are identical, and yet, they all support the trophy’s plaque. This is a symbolism of how diverse entities – individuals, companies and technologies – have contributed significantly to the evolution and innovation in this field. Regardless of their distinct contributions, each has played a pivotal role in shaping the industry,” the designer expressed.

He further elaborated on how his future work will benefit from AnkerMake MC5, “I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude towards 3D printing Industry as they not only organised the contest but also offered the AnkerMake MC5 printer as a prize. Winning this printer has left me overwhelmed, and I can’t wait to use it to enrich my design work and bring to life innovative ideas. I can now accelerate my work on multiple projects, giving me more time to create intricate and unique models.”

He added, “The runner-up for the 3DPI Awards 2023 trophy design competition was creatrixbritt who is the Art Director at Fotis Mint. Residing in NYC and being an ardent Star Wars fan, creatrixbritt devoted the past year to learning sculpting. Talking about their design, they mentioned that they incorporated the look of FDM (base), resin (body), and SLS (top). They selected a geometric design which has gained popularity in hobbyist 3D Printing and leaves room for an award inscription. The body, represented by a gem, is an emblem for the established part of 3D printing, while the lattice at the top demonstrates innovation and the expanding areas within our field.”

The creatrixbritt 3DPI Geo Award. Image via Thangs

The third-place winner was Thomas, who goes by the handle GrizzledGnome. “I first started modeling in my senior year of high school. I spent half of my school day at a vocational school where I was studying pre-engineering and taking classes that would benefit me going into college. The curriculum included college algebra, physics, programming, and an introduction to 3D modeling.”

“Initially, I never intended to get into 3D modeling or 3D printing at such an intense scale, but three years ago, with some extra funds available, I invested in a 3D printer and began sharing my journey on TikTok. It turned out to be a massive success, resulting in a TikTok following of 1.3million people. This popularity led me back to 3D modeling as I sought to use my own models in my content, hoping to eventually transition to working entirely from home. Together with my coworker, we launched a modest Patreon project releasing a few designs each month when Paul (Powers) – the CEO of Thangs, approached us to trial Thangs, which brings us to this point.”

Regarding his trophy design, Thomas described, “I aimed to create something that is not only elegant but somewhat represents what 3D printing signifies to me. Although I mainly use FDM technology, I’m convinced that 3D printing potential is infinite. With a nozzle, you can turn just about any idea into a physical object. That’s why I fell in love with modeling – it allows an idea to become a tangible product in your hands faster than I ever imagined possible. It feels akin to magic, but it’s clearly quite the opposite.”