School of Arts, Design and Architecture

The METEX Prize 2026

The Metex Prize is awarded for excellence in Master’s thesis work done in collaboration with a technology company or to promote the significance and use of design and art in Finnish industry.
Minimalist table lamp with round bulb and two beige panels, beside dried grass on a light background
Image: Eutro Table Lamp by Hana Rehorčíková, photo by Hana Rehorčíková

Founded in 1948, Metex Cooperative was a Finnish export organization collectively representing companies, particularly within the metal industry. These companies established the Metex Foundation. Following the conclusion of the cooperative's operations, the foundation was transferred to the Technology Industries of Finland Centennial Foundation as the Metex Fund. The Centennial Foundation supports the development and expertise in the technology industry. The foundation annually awards grants and prizes, such as the Metex Prize, to promote Finnish technological expertise.

The Metex Prize is awarded for excellence in Master’s thesis work done in collaboration with a technology company or to promote the significance and use of design and art in Finnish industry. This year's nominees are Eva Astria, Riccardo Grossi and Hana Rehorčíková. 

Brochure titled “Design, Downsized, Discontinued” on a pale green metal chair, cobblestones in background.

Eva Astria
Why are design units downsized or discontinued? Navigating the vulnerabilities of design profession

Why are Finnish companies cutting in-house design—and what do design units need to survive during difficult times? This thesis compares discontinued and resilient design units in large organisations and consultancies to reveal what protects design capability: clear value metrics, the right structural positioning, stable funding, and leadership support. As a Metex finalist, it offers actionable insights for Finnish industry to sustain design as a strategic capability through periods of rapid change.

Programme: International Design Business Management

Photo: Eva Astria

Disassembled black and white plastic case with green circuit board laid out in a row on a grey surface

Riccardo Grossi
Design optimization through computational design, additive manufacturing and large language models: Enhancing usability in a secure communication device

Design has always changed alongside the tools available to designers. This thesis asks what happens when computational design, additive manufacturing and AI enter that toolkit, through the redesign of a secure communication device for Finnish industry. The design advanced through a constant loop between computing, refining and making, fast enough that every version could be tested in the physical space and iterated. Emerging technologies, the thesis argues, are most valuable when they enable designers to ask better questions.

Programme: Collaborative and Industrial Design

Photo: Riccardo Grossi

Beige fibreboard samples with a dish of reed stalks and piles of shredded plant material on a white surface

Hana Rehorčíková
Regenerative binderless panels from Baltic reed

This thesis transforms invasive Baltic reed, an overgrown plant that harms coastal ecosystems, into biodegradable, glue-free panels for interior applications. Bridging material innovation and design, it demonstrates a viable alternative to conventional MDF-type boards while contributing to wetland restoration and Finland’s circular bioeconomy. Its original research, rigorous experimentation, and relevance to Finnish industry earned it a place among the finalists for the Metex Prize. 

Programme: Contemporary Design

Photo: Esa Kapila

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