For the past fourteen years, Imm Cologne has played host to the Pure Talents Contest. This internationally renowned design competition provides an opportunity for young design talents to gain wider recognition: the contest is targeted at designers who are either pursuing their studies or have recently qualified.At Imm Cologne 2017, twenty-one products from twenty-three global designers and studios were shortlisted for the Pure Talents Contest. The chosen prototype designs, representing a wide range of genres, provide an insight to the designers of tomorrow, their thinking and ambitions.Shortlisted designers at the Pure Talents Contest 2017. Photo courtesy of Imm Cologne.RELATED: IMM Cologne 2017: Celebration of Hottest Design and Décor TrendsPure Talents Contest: WinnersFirst prize was awarded to German designer Bernhard Osann for ‘Neo’, an ultra-minimal rod light that is bent in two places. Designed to lean against a wall, Neo uses LED lighting modules; its light source is rotatable, so providing both direct and indirect illumination.Neo. Photo courtesy of Imm Cologne.Neo. Photo via Dezeen.Second prize was awarded to German designer Simon Diener for ‘Pong’, a functional and mobile lamp comprising a pendant, battery and a cable connecting the two. The cable is the element that defines this portable luminaire, allowing the lamp to be slung 0ver a banister or suspended from a beam, with the heavy battery acting as a counterweight.Pon...