The Church of England has announced a competition for design students, leading designers, manufacturers and contractors to design new church seating. The Church of England is responsible for 16,000 parish churches, 12,500 of which are listed, and aspires to the highest quality design for new chairs.

The competition has two categories; the first category, in which participants design a chair for under £100, is open to students and recent graduates and the winner will receive a cash prize and the opportunity to pitch to manufacturers; the second category, in which participants can design a bench or chair, is open to all.

The judging panel will be awarding designs that are ergonomic, sympathetic to historic interiors, and sufficiently robust for regular use requiring minimum maintenance. Successful designs will also be comfortable but without dependency or upholstery, workable on historic floors, easily stored away, lightweight, practical for mass production, and with the option of being linked, and of having a book holder and chair arms.

The panel are also looking for designers who specify UK manufacture as well as sustainably and locally sourced materials.

Janet Gough, Director of the Archbishops’ Council’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Division, said: “We want to encourage chair designs to enhance the buildings they are placed in and to be celebrated by present and future generations."

Matthew Rice, illustrator and architectural enthusiast, and a member of the judging panel said:"The Victorian pews may have been swept away to reveal the uncluttered medieval space but too often this is ruined by indifferent or downright ugly modern chairs. This competition will help to right the situation." 

Luke Hughes, renowned church furniture designer, said: "Designing seating for churches is less about producing a product than it is about furnishing some of the greatest architectural interiors of all time - it's a huge challenge to any budding furniture designer, with enormous potential for those who do it well.” 

Anne Sloman OBE, Chair of the Church Buildings Council, said: “The intention of the competition is to inspire high quality church seating designs (both chairs and benches) that can be retailed at an affordable price. The real challenge will be to see whether comfort and practicality can be combined with good and new design which is sympathetic to historic interiors.”

Entries must be submitted by 30 March 2012, and the results will be announced at an awards ceremony on 14 June at St John’s Church, Hyde Park accompanied by an exhibition of finalists’ chairs. 

For further information on the competition, visit http://www.churchcare.co.uk/news.php