Peer Steffensen wins Car Design News People Award 2025

Peer Steffensen, 6th semester Transportation Design student, was awarded the Car Design News People Award 2025. The award ceremony took place at a gala in London on December 4, 2025, which brings together key players from the international automotive and design industry every year.

Peer was accompanied by his fellow 3rd semester student Yian Xie. Both were previously selected for the trip and the competition by the course management - a unique opportunity for them to meet top-class industry heads, get feedback and make important contacts.

Live sketching during the gala

Peer was recognized for his participation in the Hyundai Peter Schreyer Sketch Battle, a live competition that took place during the gala. A total of ten students from five renowned international design universities took part. They developed their designs live on site in front of a specialist audience.

The competition was based on a briefing entitled "Pencil over Prompts". In deliberate contrast to AI-supported tools and digital renderings, the focus was on analog drawing. The participants had one hour to fill an A2 page with designs for a compact Hyundai electric vehicle. They were asked to come up with concepts for the next generation of urban users, which move through dense city structures and are also open for weekend use.

Peter Schreyer presents the award in person

The jury from the Hyundai Design Team, led by Simon Loasby (Head of Design), ultimately selected Peer's work as the winner of the Sketch Battle. He then received the award in person from Peter Schreyer, one of the most recognized designers in the automotive industry.

"I'm incredibly grateful that Pforzheim University allowed me to take part in the Car Design News People Awards evening in London. The live sketch battle against nine strong competitors was intense, challenging and at the same time incredibly inspiring. It showed me once again how much passion there is in the international car design community. Being presented with the award by Peter Schreyer himself at the end was the absolute highlight of the evening for me," says Peer.

About Car Design News People Awards

The Car Design News People Awards are one of the most important meeting places for the international automotive design scene. On this evening, designers were honored in a total of 19 categories, selected by an international jury of experts. The Hyundai Peter Schreyer Sketch Battle kicked off the evening and focused on up-and-coming international designers.