Bill Moggridge, Designer of the First Laptop and Cooper-Hewitt Director, Wins Britain’s 2010 Prince Philip Designers Prize

Bill Moggridge, FIDSA, director of the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, was awarded the 2010 Prince Philip Designers Prize Tuesday, Nov. 9. The U.K.’s most prestigious design prize is awarded annually to recognize a lifetime contribution to design. As one of the pioneering designers of the 20th century, the jury, chaired by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, determined that Moggridge has been central to how design helps people understand and use technology. "I am astonished to have been chosen when my fellow short-listed candidates have achieved such amazing work," said Moggridge.

The Prince Philip Designers Prize is Britain’s longest-running design award. It recognizes designers for raising the status of design and improving everyday life by turning ideas into commercial reality. The prize was first awarded in 1959 and is run by the U.K. Design Council; the judging panel is chaired by Prince Philip himself. Winners are selected based on the quality, originality and commercial success of their work, as well as the designer’s overall contribution to the standing of design and to design education.