Solving future problems through design

2022 Theme

Averting A Future Climate Crisis Through The Power Of Engineering

As we move into the future, the development of technology is essential for many aspects of our lives. But is it possible that technology will develop too much and have adverse effects on our lives? If you've ever watched movies about AI or robots, you know that's a possibility.

The "climate crisis" is now being "hot topic" around the world nowadays. The global average temperature is said to have increased by 1.09℃at 2011 - 2020 compared to pre-industrial times, and is projected to rise by up to 5.7℃ by the end of this century. Against this backdrop, concrete measures are being considered at various levels, and some are already being implemented, but many of them are probably related to the use of eco-friendly materials or recycling.

Maybe we can avert the climate crisis through the power of engineering. Future Design Challenge calls upon young creative talent and innovators around the world to solve potential problems with us.
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* The US dollar prize money is a reference amount that is presented from the exchange rate at the time of publication, and may differ from the actual amount.
* The prize money may vary when deposited to the local currency of the account held by the winner.
* The prize money will be paid after deducting taxes such as withholding tax according to the tax system of Japan or the remittance destination region.

Schedule

Dec 23
Competition opens
Feb 28, 2023
Competition ends
Mar 1 – 16, 2023
Judging period
Mar 17, 2023 > Mar 28, 2023
Announce Award Winners

Awards

Gold Award

JPY 300,000-

(Approx. $2,189 USD for 1 person or 1 group)

  • Future Design Challenge Award
  • Prize Money
  • i-PRO Japan Tour

Silver Award

JPY 100,000-

(Approx. $730 USD for 1 person or 1 group)

  • Future Design Challenge Award
  • Prize Money

Submissions

The challenge is open to the public and challenge designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, organizations to submit their innovative design concepts relevant to Future Design Challenge 2022 Theme.

What we're looking for:

  • Concept Name *
  • Concept Description *
  • Sketches, photos, design files that showcases the concept *
  • Presentation (could be a presentation report, pitch video, etc.) *

Please upload your files to a cloud folder (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) and share the link to us. *

* tangible or intangible, any designs are eligible

Congrats! 2022 Winners!

You may make edits after submission. Please submit your concept again and mention that it is an updated version.
There is no limit to the number of submissions. You can submit as many concepts you would like.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out at
info@futuredesignchallenge.com

Sample Works from 2021

2021 Gold Award
Concept: PORTA
Name: La Myra Bening
Concept Description: PORTA is a digital gate that can detect anomalies in a smart home’s activities. It is a new secure solution to a safer smart home and smarter living. PORTA automatically terminates the wifi connection once an anomaly is detected and uses the backup data to run the devices. It utilizes a voice-based password that once it recognizes it’s not you, it will deactivate.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/0l9O-hXHXNg
2021 Silver Awards
Concept: Glass - A Future Interface
Name: Arnav Nigam
Concept Description: With the increasing complexity of the world, it is hard to manage and control our interaction and its repercussions. 'Glass' works as a control mechanism, which also provides a seamless digital experience. Imagine 'Glass' as a window to the parallel universe, where your digital twin lives. With the advancement in Brain-Machine Interface and AI, we might be able to control our parallel (digital) universe.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/nE_dryVtZKk
Concept: QGene
Name: QGene Solutions (Vinay Sudhakaran, Mohd. Saim Nasim Lari, and Arun Thangaraj)
Concept Description: QGene is a Polymorphic - DNA based tattoo to prevent digital impersonation attacks in the future. Once applied on the skin, it extracts your DNA and key behavioral traits, to generate a unique Digital Matrix based on your genome sequence - the order of your As, Cs, Gs, and Ts. This Digital Matrix is the ‘Digital Gene’ of your Digital Avatar on the internet.The solution leverages Quantum Cryptography to authenticate into the digital world, replacing the current authentication technologies.
YouTube: https://youtu.be/tHdMiJEfbEM

Judges

La Myra Bening

Designer
Gold Award Winner, Future Desing Challenge 2021

Future Design Challenge 2021 Gold Award Winner. Graduated from BINUS Northumbria School of Design in Jakarta, Indonesia, La Myra Bening is a designer who's passionate about creating and learning about people's experiences, be it visual, spatial, or something as simple as waking up to a better day.

Hironori Iwasaki

Professor at Department of Creative Innovation, Musashino Art University
Business Designer

Specialized in strategic design and business design. As a business designer, He has been leading innovation projects and new product / new business development projects for major companies in Japan for more than twenty years. He had been working on branding, innovation, new business development and startup investment during his tenure at Hakuhodo. He has been awarded many awards including Red Dot Award Communication Design and D&AD Awards Design Transformation Category. He received master’s degree from Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology and PhD in Management Science from Kyoto University.

Takuma Iwasa

Representative Director and CEO
Shiftall Inc.

Graduated from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University. Experienced in product planning of network-connected home appliances at Panasonic since 2003. Launched Cerebo Inc. in 2008 to develop and sell network-connected home appliances, and delivered over 20 self-developed IoT products to 70 countries and regions worldwide. In April 2018, founded and became CEO of Shiftor Inc., a new hardware developer, manufacturer, and distributor releasing VR headsets and other metaverse-related products, as well as various other innovative products.

Tomoyuki Hirose

Representative Director and President
Tomoshi Bito inc

Founded Tomoshi Bito inc to increase public awareness in social issues and take action, and runs "RICE MEDIA," a socially-conscious video media that lets you know about society in one minute. Currently posting one-minute short video content on various social media that introduces unknown social issues from the SDGs and social good ideas.

Judging criteria

All submissions will be assessed anonymously. When making their assessments,
the judges will take into account the following criteria and requirements:

1. Uniqueness of concept

We are looking for concepts that haven't been introduced to the world yet. Innovative, original, and a compelling idea are some few keywords you should keep in mind.

2. Quality of design

We are looking for appropriate, relevant designs that are inline with the theme. We are also looking for any potential positive social, environmental impact your design may provide.

3. Presentation

We are looking for clarity in the thought process. The presentation should be covering the overall experience of your concept and design.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to apply with multiple people?
Yes, it is possible. You can submit as a team. Also, there is no limit to the number of team members.

Is there a participation fee?
You can apply for free. There is no cost to apply for this competition.

I'm a student, can I participate?
Of course! This competition can be joined by anyone, from students to adults. We are waiting for participants who are interested in design and have social issues that they want to solve!

Is it possible to submit a concept once and then resubmit it?
You can resubmit within the application period. In that case, please let us know in the application form that you are resubmitting or replacing the concept.

Does the concept have to be related to i-PRO services and products?
The concept does not have to be related to i-PRO services and products. There are no restrictions on categories or formats. After defining the problems that may occur in the future, come up with a visual concept that can solve them.

Where should I contact if I have further questions?
Feel free to reach out to info@futuredesignchallenge.com for any additional questions!

Privacy Policy

Personal information provided by an applicant in the Future Design Challenge will be used only for application reception, inquiries, examination, notification of examination results, and other matters deemed necessary for management/operations of the Future Design Challenge (the “Purposes”).We will not use or provide personal information to any third party for any purpose other than the Purposes without the consent of the applicant.Please refer to the "Privacy Policy" of i-PRO Co., Ltd., the organizer of this Future Design Challenge. Based on this Privacy Policy, i-PRO Co., Ltd. uses personal information provided by applicants when necessary.

Precaution / Property Rights

(1) Any and all frauds are prohibited when submitting works.

(2) Entries must be original by the applicant and have not been published in Japan or overseas.

(3) The submitted work is limited to works that are planned to be proposed to other design competitions or companies at the time of submission, or have not already been proposed.

(4) The applicant expresses and warrants that the submitted work does not infringe any rights of third parties including intellectual property rights and that there is no risk of infringement.

(5) The applicant shall have the rights to inventions, patents, utility models, designs, trademarks, and copyrights of all submitted works. Therefore, the applicant shall be responsible for protecting this, so please take measures such as protection of rights when applying. If not, the award may be invalidated.

(6) If the submitted work is the same as or very similar to the previously announced design, or if it infringes the intellectual property rights of a third party, the award may be canceled even after the award is announced.

(7) Applicants must apply if the submitted work contains materials (including, but not limited to, art, photographs, fonts, etc.) created by a third party other than the applicant. At applicant’s expense and responsibility, the applicant will process the rights, such as obtaining the permission of the third party.

(8) The organizer and the operator may exclude the submitted work from the examination if it judges that it infringes the rights of a third party or may infringe the rights of a third party.

(9) The applicant shall respond at their own expense and responsibility when a third party makes a claim of infringement, etc. to the organizer and the operator regarding the submitted work. And the operator does not take any responsibility.

(10) The applicant shall fully compensate the organizer for damages, expenses, etc. based on claims of infringement of rights from a third party, regardless of the name.

(11) The organizer reserves the right to display and announce the submitted work.

(12) When commercialized, the applicant and the organizer will separately coordinate and discuss royalties, etc.

(13) If the organizer or the operator is not able to contact the applicant by the designated date after notification of the examination result, the award may be invalidated.

Any questions? Email us at
info@futuredesignchallenge.com
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