[Apply Now] Global Circular Economy Design award “crQlr Awards 2023”

Loftwork Inc., in collaboration with the creative community FabCafe Global with bases worldwide, is hosting the global award “crQlr Awards 2023”, calling for projects and ideas that design for a circular economy. The application acceptance period is from September 19 to November 10.

“crQlr” is a consortium contemplating “circular design” necessary for a circular economy, emphasizing four initiatives (Awards, Events, Exhibitions, Projects) in its activities. As one of these initiatives, crQlr launched the “crQlr Awards” in the field of “circular design” in 2021. This third installment is soliciting large-scale projects, planned ideas, activities, and artworks aiming for the realization of a circular economy from around the world, under three principles: “Evaluate in a circular manner, not linear”, “Awards for action, not fame”, and “Attain a global perspective”.

A “Special Award: FabCafe Global Prize”, established in 2022, will also be awarded. Projects and ideas that construct new relationships among stakeholders beyond conventional industrial structures and systems, themed around “New Relationship Design”, will be selected and honored.

After the “crQlr Awards”, events like the “crQlr Summit” and “crQlr Meetup” will be held in Japan and around the world. Winners and companies aim to connect and exchange views with practitioners, including global leaders, companies, and designers, to contemplate the new society together.

The jury includes eight members active in various fields and two from FabCafe Global. Several judges will comment on the winning projects/ideas, award unique prize names, and some winners will be granted various benefits such as exhibiting at the “crQlr Exhibition” and speaking opportunities at the “crQlr Summit Tokyo”. Both the “crQlr Exhibition” and “crQlr Summit Tokyo” are scheduled to be held in March 2024.

Application Site: https://awrd.com/award/crqlr-2023
Official Site: https://crqlr.com/ja/

Award Overview

• Award Name: crQlr Awards 2023
• Recruitment Guidelines: Anything related to circular design, regardless of genre. Ideas, projects, products, services, activities, ongoing prototypes, and artworks are welcome.
• Recruitment Period: September 19, 2023 – November 10, 2023, 12:00 (Noon Japan Standard Time)
• Eligibility: No restrictions on age, gender, nationality. Working professionals, students; individuals, companies, organizations, groups are eligible.
• Application Fee: Free
• Application Method: Use AWRD (https://awrd.com) operated by Loftwork Inc.
• Judging Criteria:
  • Is it creative? Does it have insights into the circular economy? (For People)
  • Does it not only circulate resources but also have a positive impact on the environment? (For Planet)
  • Does it provide solutions to the challenges of society/companies aiming for a circular economy? (For Profit)
• Project/Idea Perspective: Material, Product, Service, Art, Education, Community Development, Mechanism
• Judges’ Awards: 10 judges will each select 5 points based on their perspective and award unique prize names and comments.
• Award Benefits:
  • Awarding of unique prize names and comments from judges (comments are treated as creative commons and can be freely utilized)
  • Awarding of “crQlr Awards Winner” certification logo to support PR activities for raising awareness of circular economy initiatives
  • Project promotion by exposure through FabCafe, Loftwork, IDEAS FOR GOOD, Circular Economy Hub, and various other media sponsors
  • Publication of interview articles with winners by IDEAS FOR GOOD, Circular Economy Hub (*only for certain winners)
  • Exhibition of winning projects/ideas at “crQlr Exhibition” in three FabCafe Global locations (Tokyo and two other locations worldwide including Japan). Round-trip airfare from Japan or abroad and accommodation costs for three nights in Tokyo for up to one winner each (*only for certain winners)
  • Open feedback and discussion from judges and experts at “crQlr Summit Tokyo” (*only for certain winners)
• Special Award: FabCafe Global Prize (3 points) – To honor practitioners of “New Relationship Design”. Seeking projects/ideas that build new relationships among stakeholders beyond conventional industrial structures and systems, regardless of genre or scale. All applied projects will automatically be eligible for special award judging. https://awrd.com/award/crqlr-2023/tab/special-prize
• Special Award Benefits:
  • Awarding of “crQlr Awards Winner” certification logo as PR material
  • Winning comments and feedback from several judges
  • Opportunity for exhibition/presentation at “crQlr Exhibition”. Round-trip airfare from Japan or abroad and accommodation costs for three nights in Tokyo for up to one winner each
  • Participation in business, academy, creator networks advancing activities aiming for a circular economy
  • Project PR through exposure to FabCafe, Loftwork, IDEAS FOR GOOD, Circular Economy Hub, and various other media sponsors
• Schedule:
  • Application Period: September 19, 2023 – November 10, 2023, 12:00 (Japan Standard Time Noon)
  • Judging Period: November 22, 2023 – December 6, 2023
  • Award Announcement: January 2024
  • crQlr Exhibition, crQlr Summit: March 2024

Judges

Professionals with a track record in various fields, such as Guillaume Charny-Brunet, co-founder of Denmark’s innovation lab “SPACE10”, Hiroshi Irie, Manager of the Digital Business Unit at the Innovation Strategy Headquarters of East Japan Railway Company, and the architect Yurie Naruse, will participate as judges. Guillaume Charny-Brunet is participating as a judge for the second time since 2021. The judges work in various fields such as innovation, design, AI, art, mobility, architecture, community, technology, biology, etc.

• First Row from Left:
  • Guillaume Charny-Brunet (Co-founder & Strategy Director, SPACE10)
  • Anni Korkman (Program Director: Helsinki Design Week & Weekly, Fiskars Village Art & Design Biennale, Luovi Productions Ltd)
  • Darlene Damm (Former Chair of Faculty, Community and Impact Department, Singularity University)
  • Lucy Lu (Director, Chiayi City Cultural Bureau, Taiwan)
  • Hiroshi Irie (Manager, Digital Business Unit, Innovation Strategy Headquarters, East Japan Railway Company / Secretary General, Mobility Transformation Consortium)
• Second Row from Left:
  • Aining Ouyang (COO, REnato lab)
  • Sachiko Hirosue (President, Osaka Ransen Seirenjo Co., Ltd.)
  • Yurie Naruse (Architect / Co-Director, Naruse & Inokuma Architects)
  • Kosuke Kinoshita (Marketing & Produce, MTRL/FabCafe Kyoto)
  • David Tena Vicente (CEO, FabCafe Barcelona)

About crQlr Awards

To practice “circular design,” essential for realizing a circular economy, the crQlr Awards are in the field of “circular design,” aiming to utilize not only practical knowledge and technology in existing industries but also the creativity of entrepreneurs, artists, and various other fields by exploring domestic and international cases. The crQlr Awards 2022 saw 30 participating countries, and out of 131 application from projects, 53 projects were awarded.

• Past crQlr Awards Initiatives
  URL: https://awrd.com/series/crqlr-awards
• Winning Projects of crQlr Awards 2022
  URL: https://crqlr.com/2022/ja/announce/?ref-from=awrd-result

Award Implementation Structure

• • Organized by: FabCafe Global, Loftwork Inc.
  • Media Sponsors: IDEAS FOR GOOD, Circular Economy Hub
  • Powered by: AWRD

Originally published on CE Hub.