Sara Sims Wins 2026 PG Bison 1.618 Initiative
Design Time School of Interior Design student Sara Sims took first place in the company's annual student design competition.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Interior Decorating
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Sara Sims of Design Time School of Interior Design won the 2026 PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative, with Lané Louw and Tyra Ngwenya placing second and third. The winner was announced at a gala event at The Venue Nine Yards in Johannesburg on 29 October 2026.
Why it matters
The initiative tests students' creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving by asking them to respond to a real-world design brief. Its results highlight emerging interior design talent in South Africa.
The winner was announced on 29 October 2026 at The Venue Nine Yards in Johannesburg, with entries assessed by a panel of architecture and interior design professionals. The source does not state how many entries were submitted.
The players
PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative
The annual student design competition run by PG Bison, which challenges students to test their creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving skills through real-world design briefs.
Sara Sims
A student of Design Time School of Interior Design in Cape Town who won the 2026 PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative.
The details
Sara Sims completed her winning entry under the guidance of lecturer Giorgie Mittön, responding to the brief 'House of the Tribe'. The brief asked students to explore the relationship between space, identity and belonging, and to rethink a location so it could become a place where a community could thrive.
Timeline
29 October 2026: Winner announced at a gala event at The Venue Nine Yards in Johannesburg.
Industry Dynamics
The 2026 results add to the PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative's annual run of student competitions, which tie emerging South African designers to real-world briefs. Placing students from Design Time School of Interior Design in Cape Town and Greenside Design Centre in Johannesburg at the top shows how such briefs are being used to develop local design talent.
Readers interested in interior design training can review the competition brief and finalists' work through the PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative. The initiative shows students' approaches to designing spaces that support identity and belonging.
The takeaway
Student design competitions give emerging designers a real-world brief to test their problem-solving and creative skills. Following such initiatives can reveal the direction South African interior design talent is taking.
Further reading
Explore more on Interior Decorating trends and design competitions across South Africa.
More information
Review the PG Bison 1.618 Education Initiative and the finalists' work on the official competition site.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Bizcommunity.
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