RIMOWA has spotlighted the next wave of German design talent with the latest RIMOWA Design Prize ceremony, a day dedicated to student led ideas around the future of mobility. Out of seven visionary finalists, Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler were named winners of the fourth edition for their inclusive project “Nura.”
A day for future focused German design
Held under the banner of creativity, forward thinking and German design, the RIMOWA Design Prize ceremony brought guests together to experience student projects that all explored the same core theme: mobility. The competition is open to students from leading German design universities and is framed as a platform to “celebrate German design excellence through the empowerment of creative talents shaping the future.”
Now in its fourth edition, the prize continues to focus on mobility as a set of values freedom, connection and possibility rather than just transport, encouraging entrants to examine how people move through physical, social and digital spaces. At the ceremony, each of the seven finalists presented their concepts to the jury and audience, turning the event into a live snapshot of where young designers see mobility heading next.
Nura: a wearable for inclusive communication
The winning project, “Nura” by Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler from the University of Design Schwäbisch Gmünd, takes an inclusive approach to mobility. Rather than focusing on luggage or vehicles, Nura addresses communication mobility between deaf and hearing people, asking how technology can remove barriers in everyday interactions.
Nura is a wearable device that uses EMG (electromyography) technology to capture muscle signals in the forearm. These signals correspond to hand and finger movements and are interpreted by the system in real time, enabling direct communication without relying solely on visual cues like sign language. By translating movement into a more accessible channel, the project envisions a future where conversations between deaf and hearing users can flow more smoothly in busy, low visibility or high distraction environments.
How RIMOWA frames the prize
RIMOWA positions the Design Prize as a long term commitment to nurturing German design beyond its own iconic aluminum suitcases and travel accessories. The initiative, launched in 2022 in collaboration with a network of design schools, offers a €20,000 award to the winning project, €10,000 for the runner up and €5,000 for other finalists, signaling that the brand sees student innovation as worth investing in materially as well as symbolically.
For this fourth edition, RIMOWA congratulated winners Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler publicly and extended a Special Mention to fellow finalist Niklas Henning, underlining that the jury saw multiple ideas as having potential impact on how we move and connect. The ceremony itself, documented across RIMOWA’s social channels, is presented as a “celebration of creativity, forward thinking and German design,” with the students front and center.
Mobility as more than travel
Coverage of the 2026 finalists shows that mobility is being interpreted in increasingly broad and socially aware ways, from inclusive communication devices like Nura to concepts that rethink accessibility, public space and digital movement. For RIMOWA, whose brand DNA is built around travel, supporting projects like Nura is a way of expanding what “mobility” can mean while staying true to its core.
By giving a high visibility platform to student work, the RIMOWA Design Prize helps ensure that future conversations about movement of people, goods and information will include voices focused on empathy and inclusion as much as on efficiency and speed. In that sense, the spotlight on this year’s ceremony is as much about shifting the narrative of mobility as it is about celebrating one winning project.
