Italian lager Peroni Nastro Azzurro has teamed up with design brand Alessi to create the Blue Ribbon Design Awards.
The awards will be held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London from 30 September to the 4 October 2009. The national exhibition will be open to the general public and will be a celebration of Italian style.
The Blue Ribbon Design Awards will then tour further design venues and style bars across the country.
For the Peroni Blue Ribbon Awards, design enthusiasts were asked to create pieces inspired by the authentic Italian occasion of Aperitivo, which combines small plates of food with light alcoholic drinks during the early evening hours of the week as a relaxing prelude to dinner.
Each on-trade customer buying a bottle of Peroni will have the chance to create their own Italian design collection through a text to win promotion. Other prizes include a bottle opener and an Aperitivo bowl — all in stainless steel.
"We have asked designers to create items inspired by Italian design values, against the occasion of Aperitivo," said Peroni marketing manager Karen Raglione-Hall.
"By hosting the exhibition in bars across the UK, the collaboration really comes to life in the trade."