Established in 2012, the Middlecott Sketchbattle Experiment is held annually in Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas. It is a competition for car designers of all levels, professionals and students seeking the title of “Sketchmaster” and other prizes.
Top prize is $2,500 or an online or on-site class at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.
This was the first time a Sketchbattle was held during Monterey Car Week, and it was staged as part of the official Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Forum program at the Inn at Spanish Bay.
Presented by HRE Performance Wheels, the event featured 10 designers in a two-round competition. Each round must be completed in 30 minutes with a specific design theme in mind.
Round 1 was to redesign the Bugatti Type 57SC Corsica roadster for the year 2025. Round 2 was to redesign the Ferrari 375 MM Scaglietti Coupe for the year 2025. Both themes were selected by HRE Performance Wheels.
Rules are very simple. Designers must bring their own supplies and all sketches must be done manually. Other than that, complete your sketch in 30 minutes and be n the board, ready to be judged.
The winner of the inaugural Monterey event was Ash Lewin, who is from Sacramento, California, and has attended the Academy of Art University.
One goal of Sketchbattle is to create awareness in young generations of the opportunities available in transportation design. In addition to this level of competition, there are Sketchbattle Pro events, Sketchbattle team evenets for art and design schools, and Sketchbattle Jr., an education initiative to develop design skills among teenagers.
The next round of Sketchbattle competition is scheduled in Las Vegas during the SEMA Show this fall.
Read more Monterey Car Week coverage here.
