Design Competition

winning sculpture Pictured, Competition winner Eddie Hunt, sculptor Doug Cocker plus representative of the Al-Maktoum Institute with scale model of the new monument for Dubai.

The Dundee schoolboy who won a competition to come up with ideas for a major international monument to showcase the City of Discovery took a scale model of his concept to Dubai with him earlier this year.

His vision has been turned into a reality by sculptor Doug Cocker, who has created a model of the monument that will eventually be erected in the Cosmopolitan hub of the Middle East.

Thirteen-year-old Eddie Hunt, a pupil at Morgan Academy, aimed high with his concept - in fact the highest point in the city. Eddie's concept of a design based around the 571ft Law Hill, with a fountain incorporated and a representation of the River Tay at its base, claimed top spot with the judging panel.

Around 100 entries - including many from city schools - were received following the announcement of the public competition open to all in Dundee.

Dubai, Sister City to Dundee, invited the City of Discovery to submit plans for a monument to represent the modern Dundee. The Dubai Municipality will then create the monument in Za'abeel Park, one of its main parks, alongside monuments to cities such as Geneva, Istanbul, Shanghai and Osaka.

To that end, The City of Discovery Campaign in conjunction with the City Council, the Al-Maktoum Institute, Six Cities Design Festival, Hilton Hotels and Emirates Airline asked local people to take part in a unique competition to decide what the sculpture or monument should be and send their concepts for the monument.

Drawing skills were irrelevant, with the ideas and concepts the vital ingredients in the competition.

Lord Provost John Letford, Chairman of the City of Discovery Campaign and one of the judges, said: "The Law is perhaps the best known and most enduring feature of the city's skyline, and is visible from miles around. The City has grown around it and developed and evolved over centuries, and so the judges felt that Eddie's concept was totally appropriate. Now we have seen how Doug Cocker has brought Eddie's concept to life we can be even more proud of our entry."

Eddie said: "It is fantastic to win. I thought it was a good idea, but I had no idea it would turn out to be the winner. I am just delighted, and look forward to visiting Dubai."

Eddie's winning entry brought him a prize of £500 and he will also receive return flights (courtesy of Emirates) for two on their non-stop service from Glasgow to Dubai with three nights accommodation at the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah (sponsored by Hilton Dundee). He travels out later this month.

Our thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to the winner and the runners up.

Also special thanks to the sponsors of the first prize - Emirates Airlines and Hilton Dundee.

Eddie's idea caught the imagination of the judges who all agreed that it appeared to have all the right elements that would represent Dundee. Eddie proposed that the law should be the basis of his proposal with the Tay at its base. The Law would have a fountain at the top from which water would flow/splash down its sides. There would a spiral route to the top which passes various landmark buildings on the way.

Ruth entered her concept as a written entry. She based her ideas on the idea of Dundee being a University City and a place of research, especially in medical research. She noted that students and researchers came from all over the world to study and research here in Dundee. Her proposal was for a drinking fountain that would be a flowing sculpture of the city showing the Law and Balgay Hill and various buildings. The Tay would act as part of the drinking fountain and represent knowledge being dispersed out into the world.

Norman's entry was a written entry accompanied with photographs and poems. Using Cox's Stack as a basis for his proposal, he imagined an 8.5 metre high replica of the stack that would be covered in ceramic tiles. On each side of the square base there would be panels of text, one giving a short history of Dundee and the other three would have poems about Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.

Jessica's proposal is based on the story of the Nine Maidens Dragon wrapping itself around the law with the Tay bridges. She hoped the sculpture would be 20 feet high.

Jayde features the Law in her concept. At the top the Tay whale spouts water which would be lit by coloured lights. The Tay Rail Bridge completely surrounds the Law and Dundee City of Discovery would be inscribed into the side of the Law. She wished it to be made in bronze.

Kristen proposed a large sundial made of three tapered columns. Each column would have an opening that would contain something that says something of Dundee. One would have water running over a girder inside representing the rail bridge and add sound the piece. Another column would have jute inside and the other would have metal type blocks in the form a front page from the Courier to represent journalism. The three columns would be stood on the layout of a large sundial with maps of both Dubai's and Dundee's waterfronts.