Entries for the Smart Pasta competition, consisting of a 3D printable design to be realized in pasta form and a brief explanation, were accepted until March. Entrants were encouraged to consider such design criteria as how its geometry could affect flavor and texture. In addition, Barilla is also offering a €1000 option right for any designs, regardless of if they win, that the company is interested in purchasing for commercial use.
“The competition was in itself very appealing: the idea of designing new shapes of pasta to be 3D printed with an exclusive 3D printer specifically designed for the purpose introduced a series of challenges that arose the interest of the participants, that interpreted the request from different perspectives and with great creativity,” Desall wrote in a blog post about the winners of the Smart Pasta competition.
The first, second, and third place winners have finally been announced, and their designs are, in a word, breathtaking. 26-year-old freelance Italian designer Andrea Anedda won first prize with his Turbine design, a revisited version of the popular fusilli pasta, which features a corkscrew design.
“When I first saw the Barilla SMART PASTA contest I immediately found it interesting and I thought I could give it a chance,” Anedda said in a comment to Desall, which the company shared with 3DPrint.com. “The brief was very stimulating, and I thought I could use my experience in 3D printing to design something new and innovative but at the same time producible by this technology that allows you to design anything you want but still has strict rules to follow.”
Anedda went on to say that he asked his mother, whom he calls “the best cook of the world,” what exactly makes pasta perfect, and realized that he needed to focus on a shape that would keep the pasta and sauce together.
According to the contest page, “It can float on soup and can be loaded with different ingredients. The size can be varied for different effects. For example one large lily floating on top of a bowl of soup or a group of small ones for a plate.”
3DPrint.com congratulates the winning designers, who will each receive a prize of €1000. Now, please excuse me while I go make a reservation at the nearest Italian restaurant, because I suddenly have a massive craving for some risotto.
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[Images: Desall]