[ECO]DESIGNING FUTURES 2050 Student Competition Opens Global Call for Sustainable Innovation

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BE OPEN Foundation launches expanded DESIGNING FUTURES 2050 competition with €15,000 prize pool and comprehensive support package for young innovators.

LONDON – The BE OPEN Foundation announced its sixth international competition,

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, launching September 15, 2024, with an expanded prize structure and direct connection to United Nations sustainability initiatives. The competition responds to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’s urgent call for youth engagement in global sustainability.

“My generation has clearly failed in many respects – especially on the climate crisis,” Guterres stated at the 2023 Summit for a New Global Financial Pact in Paris. “I count on your generation to keep turning up the heat on global leaders… and build a better future – rooted in solidarity, equality and sustainability.”

DESIGNING FUTURES 2050 answers this call by offering young innovators aged 18-35 multiple pathways to participate. Contestants can submit either individual projects or team collaborations, with individuals permitted to submit both one personal project and one team entry. The competition actively encourages mentorship and collaboration with academic and professional institutions, recognizing supporting organizations in publicity materials.

The DESIGNING FUTURES 2050 competition structure spans three strategic categories:

• Battling the Problems of Today
• Creating the Visions of Tomorrow
• Adjusting the Sustainable Development Goals

Elena Baturina, BE OPEN’s founder, emphasizes the DESIGNING FUTURES 2050 competition’s practical impact: “Every year we collect hundreds of outstanding, well-researched, creative projects from young people all over the world. Their innovations drive our commitment to providing platforms for idea exchange and professional development.”

The prize package includes significant monetary and professional development opportunities:

• First Prize: €5,000
• Second Prize: €3,000
• Third Prize: €2,000
• Founder’s Choice Prize: €3,000
• Public Vote Prize: €2,000

Beyond monetary rewards, winners receive:

• Travel grants (€1,000 for individuals, up to €2,500 for teams)
• Opportunity to present at a major international UNSDG-related event
• International exposure through an online exhibition
• Networking opportunities with sustainability experts

The competition timeline extends through early 2025:

• Submission *******: September 15, 2024 – January 31, 2025
• Winner Announcement: March-April 2025
• Awards Ceremony: 2025 (date to be confirmed)

An international jury will select 50 honorable mentions before determining

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. The Founder’s Choice prize, selected by Elena Baturina, and the Public Vote prize will be chosen from these top 50 submissions. Competition partners may also offer additional non-cash prizes to outstanding entries.

BE OPEN’s initiative addresses critical gaps in

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development implementation. The foundation’s six-year track record demonstrates how design thinking and creativity can translate UN SDGs into practical solutions. This year’s expanded format emphasizes both innovation and implementation, with winners receiving substantial support to move their concepts toward reality.

The competition poses a central challenge to participants: “What changes, adjustments and introductions can be done to help achieve the wellbeing for all mankind formulated by the sustainable development goals by 2050?”

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