SEARCH FOR COMPREHENSIVE DESIGN SOLUTIONS TO HUMANITY'S CRITICAL PROBLEMS LAUNCHED!

February 17, 2014, New York City - The Buckminster Fuller Institute formally announces the Call for Proposals to the 2014 Fuller Challenge. Recognized as “Socially-Responsible Design’s Highest Award”, the Challenge invites activists, architects, artists, designers, entrepreneurs, students and planners from all over the world to submit their innovative solutions to some of humanity’s most pressing problems. A $100,000 prize is awarded to support the development and implementation of one outstanding strategy. Entries will be accepted until April 11, 2014.

WINNING CRITERIA: IMPACTING 100%

Buckminster Fuller called for a design revolution to “to make the world work for 100% of humanity, in the shortest possible time, through spontaneous cooperation, without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone.”

Answering this call is what the Fuller Challenge is all about.

Winning entries for the last six years have applied a rare combination of pragmatic, visionary, comprehensive and anticipatory thinking to tackling issues as broad as urban mobility, coastal restoration and innovation in biomaterials packaging. BFI has created an application process for entry to the Fuller Challenge in which global changemakers grapple deeply with a unique set of criteria. Internationally renowned jurors and reviewers look for whole systems strategies that integrate effectively with key social, environmental and economic factors impacting each design solution.

GROWING BENEFITS TO ENTRY

“The Challenge program has defined an emerging field of practice – the whole systems approach to understanding and solving the interrelated crises facing us. The entry criteria have established a new framework through which to identify and measure effective, enduring solutions to global sustainability’s most entrenched challenges,” said Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Director of The Buckminster Fuller Institute. “We are committed to further supporting this emergent field through our Catalyst Program, which provides much needed additional support to select initiatives: mentoring, pro-bono legal services, consideration for fiscal sponsorship, international press coverage, special invitations to present at conferences and exhibitions, and more! We partnered with Interface in 2013 to launch this program, and we could not be more gratified that we are able to continue its development in 2014.”

FORWARD ON THE CALL!

Are you or someone you know working on a holistic solution to make the world work for 100%? Read below for more information on what we are looking for, download the full Call for Proposals, and APPLY!

Deadline for entries is Friday, April 11, 2014, at 5pm EST.