The “Maupe” Project Reaches the Finals of the (be aware) Design Award for Inclusion 2026

The (be aware) Design Award for Inclusion, presented by design inclusion e.V., honors socially relevant projects by emerging designers who are committed to promoting greater inclusion in design. This year, over 60 projects from 30 universities were submitted. The Technical University of Applied Sciences Augsburg was also represented with the “Maupe” project, which made it into the top five and was invited to the final judging round at the Offenbach University of Art and Design.

The Maupe, an electronic musical instrument, provides people with cognitive and physical disabilities with intuitive access to music. It was developed in workshops together with residents of the Dominikus-Ringeisen-Werk, in cooperation with the Caritas Association for the Diocese of Augsburg e.V. It was created as part of the team project “It might get loud!” during the sixth semester of Interactive Media (B.A./B.Sc.) Interactive Media (B.A./B.Sc.). The project team included Serafin Bodendorf, Andreas Dimpfl, Zoe Finkenzeller, Felix Geiger, Daniel Kroul, Saskia Schleicher, Gabriel Seibold, Felix Tamm, Kevin Welz, and Marcel Winatschek.

On behalf of the project team, Felix Tamm, Felix Geiger, Kevin Welz, and Gabriel Seibold traveled to Offenbach and presented Maupe at their own booth. During the finals, the project team was honored with a certificate for its commitment to more inclusive design. The grand prize was awarded to Suvi Lener from Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences for her project “ANEA,” an accessible gynecological examination chair.