Designing Futures 2050 is the 6th international competition held by philanthropic educational initiative BE OPEN and partners. It is open to students, graduates and young professionals. The competition aims to encourage creation of innovative solutions by younger creatives, for a more prosperous and sustainable future, and the focus of the competition is the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Programme.
In the 2024 Sustainable Development Goals Report, UN Secretary-General António Guterres states that “only 17 per cent of the SDG targets are on track, nearly half are showing minimal or moderate progress, and progress on over one third has stalled or even regressed. The scarring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating conflicts, geopolitical tensions, and growing climate chaos are hitting SDG progress hard… This report highlights the urgent need for stronger and more effective international cooperation to maximize progress starting now.”
That is why BE OPEN has developed this competition with the objective to raise awareness about the necessity of urgent action in accomplishment and adjusting of the Sustainable Development Goals to the realities of today among the young and upcoming professionals of creative and engineering disciplines. The competition hopes to contribute to the realistic implementation of sustainability values through identifying, showcasing and promoting creative ideas that support global shift to a sustainable and efficient future.
Elena Baturina, Founder of BE OPEN speaks about the project: “For the past six years, we at BE OPEN have worked to support the Sustainable Development Goals by running international student design competitions. Every year we collect hundreds of outstanding, well-researched, creative projects from young people all over the world. Every year we get reassurance that educating and motivating young people to become leaders of sustainable change is the best way forward. And every year we try to do more by offering them a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas, offering them opportunities for self-education, boosting their confidence and helping them to see that they matter.”
There are categories for the submissions to relate to, to help contestants choose their approach to the challenge: Battling the Problems of Today; Creating the Visions of Tomorrow; Adjusting the Sustainable Development Goals.
BE OPEN strongly believes that creativity is integral in the shift to sustainable existence. To attain the UN SDGs we need to think out of the box. We need creative thinking – design thinking – and creative action. Design has a crucial role to play as an instrument or vehicle for the implementation of the UN SDGs.
BE OPEN will reward the best work with the monetary prizes as well as with honorary mentions:
- First prize — €5,000
- Second prize — €3,000
- Third prize — €2,000
- BE OPEN Founder’s Choice prize — €3,000
- Public Vote prize – €2,000
The international Jury of Designing Futures 2050 will be composed of members of the BE OPEN Community, representatives from business and academia and sustainability experts from former and current partner organizations. The jury will select top 50 honourable mentions, then decide amongst the strongest submissions and name the winners of the First, Second and Third Prizes out of all submissions within all three submission categories.
The Founder’s Choice prize is allocated by the Founder of BE OPEN Elena Baturina who will select the awardee out of 50 honourable mentions. The Public Vote prize winner will be decided upon by the majority of votes in an online open vote from 50 honorary mentions.