Summer, the YouFab season.

Summer is an exciting time for the FabCafe Global Network. The taste of cold coffee brews cools us down and flip flops fill our cafes, but the reason we love summer most is because summer is YouFab season.

YouFab Global Creative Awards is a global design competition that recognizes excellence in the field of digital fabrication. The competition encourages creators using tools such as laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC machines to showcase their work on a global platform. Broken down into categories, YouFab is seeking innovative submissions in products, art, machines, hack, and beyond. At FabCafe, we strive to inspire everyone to create and YouFab gives us the opportunity to celebrate our community of creators.

And celebrate we did.

To kick off the YouFab Global Design Awards, FabCafe Barcelona celebrated with experimental perfumes from @jaderossda, drones from ESS Estudiants, and the music of Ari & David and the band Bohemian Affair. Thanks to ciclo.io, Trotec España, icreatia.es,Stalactite, Printhatshit, and Entresd, the event was a blast.

FabCafe Bangkok blew us away with their beautiful backdrop wall installation. The 2.4m x 3m textured wall was arranged with small boxes into a waved shape and wrapped with red papers. We were impressed to learn such a bold, energetic piece was created for under $100 USD using simple materials such as cardboard and paper!

FabCafe Tokyo hosted a talk session called Creative x Technology. The dynamic discussion was conducted with last year’s YouFab 2014 Grand Prize winner Aki Inomata, runner-up Masaaki Sugimoto of AgIC, finalist Saki Chikaraishi, as well as FabCafe co-founder and YouFab Executive Committee Chairman Toshiya Fukuda.

FabCafe NYC collaborated with Women in Hardware to host 40+ female professionals in software, design, engineering, and 3D printing. The YouFab Kick Off was held at Normal: One Size Fits None, a company customizing earphones using 3D printers. Everyone enjoyed wine and sandwiches while Nikki Kaufman spoke about her journey as a female founder and Quirky Alum.

YouFab Global Creative Awards, promotes the activation and appreciation of digital fabrication from a creative standpoint via our global network. We want to make the 3rd Annual YouFab Global Creative Awards bigger than ever and we need you!

You may submit all types of creative works made using digital fabrication tools such as the 3D printer, laser cutters or CNC milling machines, or you can create your own digital fabrication tool itself and submit that. A condition of entry is that works must be in their completed form and not left in the conceptional phase in the form of design plans or proposals. Submissions can be something that has already been launched, or something yet-to-be unveiled.

Submit your works today!

About the writer. Kristen Smith is Co-Founder of FabCafe NYC with 5+ years of experience in the maker community. She recently spent two months visiting the various FabCafe’s all around the world and is passionate about spreading FabCafe’s global reach. After graduating from University of Colorado, Kristen gained experience in public engagement at the Denver Art Museum and MoMA in New York.