Press Release
Prorig Mobile Rig by Kl Chiu Wins the A' Design Award in Camera and Photography Equipment Design
Kl Chiu honored for camera and photography equipment design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 22, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Prorig Mobile Rig by Kl Chiu has been granted the A' Design Award in the Camera and Photography Equipment Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the A' Design Award
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
About Prorig Mobile Rig
Prorig is a mobile rig for smartphone photography and filmmaking. The rig is made from recycled aluminium with GRS certified TPU bumpers. A slim expansion frame with an open back keeps magnetic accessory attachment, ports and controls accessible. A swappable insert clicks in to hold a wide range of phone models, so upgrading a phone requires changing only the insert. Quick release handles attach at any corner for fast changes between vertical and horizontal shooting. Standard mount points and a lens mount allow tool free accessories.
About Kl Chiu
ShiftCam is a mobile photography accessory brand that focuses on giving mobile photographers the ability to take professional-level photos using their smartphones. The brand designs and creates multi-lens cases and clip-on lenses that are compatible with a wide range of mobile phone models. Founded in 2017, ShiftCam has quickly gained popularity amongst photography enthusiasts and professionals alike. The brand has been featured in numerous tech and photography publications such as TechCrunch, Digital Camera World, and The Verge. ShiftCam has also received several awards for its innovative products, including the Red Dot Design Award in 2018.
Award Record
With this recognition, Kl Chiu is a winner of 4 A' Design Awards. The awards span the editions from 2020 - 2021 to 2025 - 2026 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Camera and Photography Equipment Design Award
The A' Photography Equipment Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good photography gear by leading designers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to photography equipment designers, camera manufacturers, lens designers and industrial design studios from all countries. Entries typically include cameras, lenses, tripods, flashes, light meters and camera bags. Awarded photography equipment designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/photography-equipment
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/182317
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182317
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182317
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/224018
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Prorig Mobile Rig
- Function
- Mobile Rig
- Category
- Camera and Photography Equipment Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Electronics & Appliances and Entertainment
- Colors
- Light Gray, Dark Gray, Light Slate Gray, Silver and Dim Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Kl Chiu
- Country
- Hong Kong (China)
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #182317
Credits
- Team
- Benson KL Chiu and Armand van Oord
- Image Credits
- Armand van Oord
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Made from recycled aluminium, ShiftCam Gear ProRig delivers cage-level capability with rig-like simplicity– built for professional creators, videographers and cinematographers. It upgrades mobile workflows without sacrificing portability, ergonomics or ease of use: quick setup, secure hold, accessory-ready mounting, and full MagSafe access. Elegant yet powerful, ProRig is forward-compatible: upgrade phones by swapping a simple insert, reducing lifetime cost and extending product life.
- Inspiration
- Phones are sleek, minimal, and capable– rigging should be too. ProRig evolves film cages into a cleaner, phone-first system: a universal, upgrade-proof rig that mounts accessories, preserves MagSafe, and rigs up fast without bulk. Traditional cages lock creators into one orientation and restrict angles. ProRig’s corner quick-release handles attach in any corner, so you can switch vertical/horizontal fast, tilt into harder angles, while keeping the phone bottom clear for cables and SSDs.
- Research
- We developed ProRig through iterative prototyping and usability testing to reach the most minimalist, universal rig that still rigs up fast, preserves MagSafe, keeps the phone bottom clear for cables/SSDs, and supports both vertical and horizontal shooting. We worked with a focus group to uncover real pain points, then made a radical design shift and validated it through shooting trials and accessory checks with creators and our in-house team. The result is a cleaner workflow with freer angles and less clutter.
- Challenge
- The hardest challenge was creating a clean, minimalist rig without limiting how people shoot or where accessories go. The handle connection had to be strong but non-intrusive, attach to any corner for fast vertical/horizontal swaps, and still leave space for lights, mics, lenses, and cables/SSDs. At the same time, the frame had to stay slim, MagSafe-clear, and universal across phone models. We solved it through rapid prototypes and a radical redesign to a cleaner, more capable version.
- Realization and Technology
- Built from recycled aluminum with GRS-certified TPU bumpers. The slim expansion frame uses an open-back design to preserve MagSafe and keep ports/controls accessible. A simple click-in fit secures a wide range of phone sizes and models for fast setup and stable handheld shooting. Standard mount points and a dedicated lens mount are integrated into the frame for tool-free, modular add-ons without bulk.
- Operation and Interaction
- Built from recycled aluminum with GRS-certified TPU bumpers. The slim expansion frame uses an open-back design to preserve MagSafe and keep ports/controls accessible. A swappable insert with a simple click-in fit secures the phone and enables forward compatibility—upgrade by changing only the insert to extend product life. Standard mount points and a dedicated lens mount are integrated for tool-free modular add-ons without bulk, keeping the rig clean, balanced, and fast to configure.
- Project Duration and Location
- April 2025, prototype Oct 2025, designe drevision in jnauary 2026, expecting to ship july 2026
- Specifications
- 170mm x 21.6mm x 103.5mm
- Keywords
- Mobile Rigs, Mobile Photography, Mobile Filmmaking, Filmmaking Rigs
