Are you a design activist creating innovative design while promoting equity? Are you a student using healthy materials and addressing climate change?
Parsons Healthy Materials Lab is looking for the next healthy design role model. If you are currently an enrolled student anywhere in the world, you are welcome to apply.
Does your work exemplify healthy material innovation and advocacy in design?
How are Winners Chosen?
We choose winners who exemplify innovation, use healthy materials or healthy strategies and/or advocate through design. Projects of all types, including theoretical, proposed and real, are eligible. Entries can include models, prototypes, artwork or visual media. Requirements include documentation of the design process through pictures, drawings or short videos, and an annotated life-cycle diagram summarizing the carbon impact of your design in order to understand how your design responds to the current global climate emergency.
$1,000 cash prize and social media coverage
ELIGIBILITY
Students currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree-seeking design program are eligible to enter. This includes students in all disciplines and continents. Group submissions are also accepted.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday May 17, 2021
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
We accept in-process and digital models (that might have been made in your kitchen) and/or any other evidence to support your final concept.
First and last name (If this is a group submission, please enter first and last names separated by a comma of all team members)
Name and location of your University
Faculty reference
Name of academic program you are enrolled in
Project title
A description of your motivation or inspiration (100 word limit)
A description of your process (100 word limit)
A description of market viability (100 word limit)
A description of all materials used, including any coatings and/or adhesives; plus evidence to support any claims of healthier materials (Why is your material innovation healthier?) (500 word limit)
Annotation of this diagram to reflect the lifecycle of your design. Consider the impact on human and environmental health at every stage.
At least 3 final project images (under 1MB). All images must be high resolution.
A maximum of 7 supporting images, videos, drawings and/or other means of demonstrating your process. All images must be high resolution.
ANNOUNCING THE JURY
JUDGING CRITERIA:
Clear argument for positive human health impacts and environmental benefits: Record evidence to support claims of healthier materials.
Clear Motivation for Material Choices: Are the materials chosen because they are healthier alternatives to commonly used materials? Are the materials salvaged, recycled, or reused - closing the loop of their life cycle? Are they sourced locally or from sources that lower a typical carbon footprint?
Demonstration of Innovation and Future Thinking: Give details of your design process, describing why you made the choices that you did.
Demonstration of Carbon Impact: How well does your annotated diagram address planetary and human health at every stage of the product’s life-cycle? Do your design decisions reduce the impacts of carbon emissions and therefore slow down climate change?
Compelling Aesthetics: This is a design project. Considering health, the environment, and local and global ecologies improves creative design work. Your creative, healthy, and sustainable strategies should be communicated through equally beautiful models, prototypes, and/or physical design proposals. We look forward to seeing radical innovation that will proliferate, which depends upon unique and compelling aesthetics.
QUICK TIPS:
Use mechanical joinery or fasteners instead of glues or adhesives
Avoid potential toxics, including VOCs, flame retardants, stain repellent coatings, etc.
Use natural, salvaged, or recycled materials.
Catch up with last year’s Role Models winner, Eldy:
LINKS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:
Healthier Modeling Material Alternatives - Investigations by Del Hardin Hoyle’
- Last year’s Role Model Contest awardees
For additional information and resources, visit our Resource Library.
Personal information collected from entries will only be used for the purposes of this contest and will be deleted after the contest winners are announced.
Join Our Academic Network
Get Access to our carefully researched and curated academic resources, including model syllabi and webinars. An email from an academic institution or a .edu email address is required. If your academic institution does not use .edu email addresses but you would like to join the network, please contact healthymaterialslab@newschool.edu.
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