Hong Kong Awards drives the panel to drink

Think twice before accepting an invitation to become a design luminary on an awards judging panel.

The four-strong jury for the Hong Kong Designers Association Awards, which included Marcello Minale, had just two days to judge 2500 entries – an average of nearly 160 an hour for a normal day’s work. The prestigious panel, however, appears to have been fueled by more than goodwill.

Members initiated Club 41 – a drinking club open to designers clocking up the all-important 41 points needed for entry – which gave it 700 members instantly.

Maybe they didn’t work just an eight-hour day after all.