Sketch battle returns for CDN People Awards 2025

Who doesn't love a good sketch battle? 

We're pleased to announce that the Hyundai Peter Schreyer Sketch Battle will return this year, taking place live during the 2025 People Awards.

Guests will have the opportunity to watch ten brilliant young designers from UK and European universities sketch it out in real time during the drinks reception. There will also be a chance to meet them and see their final work up close, with the winner revealed on stage by Peter Schreyer himself. 

The brief: Pencil over Prompts

As always, students were set a task curated by the Hyundai design judges. This year, the brief is as follows:

"In a time shaped by AI tools and flawless renders, use only your hand to design a small Hyundai EV — under four meters — created by and for the next generation of city dwellers. It must move effortlessly through dense urban streets on weekdays and transform into a versatile weekender. What does democratic, joyful, human-centered design look like in your hands?"

“Let your pencils fly," comments Schreyer. "Many iconic designs began as nothing more than a simple thumbnail sketch.” Senior VP and head of the Hyundai Design Center, Simon Loasby, advises students to “be playful, be purposeful, and make something that everyone can belong to.” 

Following in the footsteps of past winners Harry de la Riviere (University of Wales Trinity St David / Ducere Global Business School) and Sebastián Jiménez (College for Creative Studies), this year’s competitors represent: 

Pforzheim University

IAAD - Istituto d'Arte Applicata e Design

CREAPOLE, Paris

Coventry University

Royal College of Art

Book your table before 20 November to watch it all unfold live. And who knows, you might just find your next team member. 

The details: Hyundai Peter Schreyer sketch battle 2025

Date: 4th Dec

Location: Old Billingsgate, London

Book a table here. Deadline 20 November 2025