Indian entry gets nominated at the Global Climate Action Challenge

35 shortlisted finalists announced at Dutch Design Week
What Design Can Do, the IKEA Foundation and Autodesk Foundation announced the finalists of the Climate Action Challenge at Dutch Design Week (21-29 October) in Eindhoven.

The Climate Action Challenge, a global competition calling for design solutions to help vulnerable people adapt to a changing climate, received 384 entries from 70 countries. These have been shortlisted to 35 diverse projects from 20 countries—including Nepal, Brazil, the Netherlands, Indonesia and the US.

“Only by working together can we develop innovative solutions that help people everywhere adapt to the threats posed by climate change. We are thrilled to see the wide range of responses from the creative community to the Climate Action Challenge, with so many ideas reflecting Democratic Design principles such as sustainability or functionality. We are grateful to our partner, What Design Can Do, for challenging the creative community to bring fresh ways of tackling the daily hazards faced by billions of vulnerable people around the world and we are eager to meet the winners of the challenge, which will be announced later this month in São Paolo”, said Liz McKeon, Programme Manage, the IKEA Foundation.

Thirty-five finalists have been selected in three categories: students (10), creative professionals (15) and start-ups (10). They were all featured in a lively exhibition at Dutch Design Week—northern Europe’s biggest design event—and now have a month to refine their proposals.

Among the finalists, India’s entry- the Scrappy News Weather Report has been nominated which has been shortlisted for its unique concept of a news channel created for the children and by the children. The channel explores the problems and their solutions through games, quiz and other hands on activities to day today environmental issues like garbage dumping, recycling and air pollutions. This innovative channel will allow experiential learning to school students.

“Congratulations to all who have been shortlisted for this year’s Climate Action Challenge. This list recognizes the hard work and creativity from these exceptional designers from around the globe who are focused on helping at-risk people to live in a climate-constrained world. The range of entries is remarkable and a true testament to the power of design,” said Joe Speicher, Executive Director, Autodesk Foundation.

The winners will be announced on 23 November 2017 at What Design Can Do Live in São Paulo, Brazil—selected by an internationally acclaimed jury including Elizabeth McKeon (IKEA Foundation), Joe Speicher (Autodesk Foundation), Kristian Koreman (ZUS Architects) and Patricia Espinosa (UNFCCC). The winners will share an award package of €900,000, which includes an accelerator programme to help them develop their proposal.