Calling for applications! Global circular economy design award “crQlr Awards 2024”

The “crQlr Awards 2024,” a global competition focused on circular economy design, is returning for its fourth year. It opened for submissions on September 17, inviting entries from across the globe that showcase ideas and projects that create circular systems.

Launched in 2021 as Japan’s first award dedicated to circular design, the crQlr Awards is now an international platform of innovation. Organized by Loftwork Inc. and the global creative community FabCafe Global, the competition has attracted participation from 43 countries, with a total of 474 projects submitted to date. The goal is to promote circular economy concepts that replace the traditional linear “take-make-waste” model with a regenerative approach.

This year’s crQlr Awards will emphasize three core values: “Circular not linear,” “Action, not prestige,” and “Gain from global perspective.” The competition is open to large-scale projects, developing ideas, and even creative art pieces. In addition, the “FabCafe Global Prize” will be awarded to projects that incorporate biological processes to promote a circular bioeconomy, highlighting innovations that contribute to environmental sustainability through nature-inspired systems.

Winners will receive recognition from an international panel of 10 judges, including professionals in design, architecture, technology, and art. The panel includes notable figures such as David Benjamin, founder of The Living and associate professor at Columbia University, and Gregory Constantine, CEO of Air Company, a leader in sustainable fuel and consumer products made from captured carbon dioxide.

The winning projects will also be showcased at the “crQlr Awards Exhibition” in Tokyo in March 2025, where participants will have the chance to present their ideas at the “crQlr Summit Tokyo.” These events are designed to encourage continued collaboration and idea-sharing among innovators, businesses, and the public.

Previous winners of the crQlr Awards were featured in exhibitions in Barcelona and Bangkok, including as part of Bangkok Design Week 2024. In Japan, the crQlr Awards exhibitions have taken place in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya, where circular design projects were displayed to wide audiences. The crQlr Summit Tokyo has also brought together international judges and winners to share diverse perspectives and strategies for a circular future.

The crQlr Awards prioritize impactful action rather than recognition. Participants are supported with feedback, mentorship, and opportunities to refine their ideas. Unlike conventional design competitions, the crQlr Awards aim to create a community of continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation, fostering an ongoing exchange of ideas even after the awards are announced.

Award overview

• Award name: crQlr Awards
• Application criteria: Open to any genre, as long as it relates to circular design.
• Application period: Tuesday, September 17, 2024 ~ Friday, October 18, 2024, 12:00 pm (Japan Standard Time).
• Eligibility: No restrictions on age, gender, or nationality. Open to professionals, students, individuals, companies, organizations, and groups.
• Application fee: Free
• How to apply: Applications must be submitted via AWRD, operated by Loftwork (link here: https://awrd.com).
• Examples of project categories: Materials, products and services, art projects, educational initiatives, urban development projects, and innovative systems.
• Prizes: 10 judges will each select five projects from their own perspective and award them with unique prize names and comments.

Special Prize: FabCafe Global Prize (3 projects)

Application Summary

Under the theme “Towards a Circular Bioeconomy,” the competition seeks projects and ideas that incorporate or utilize biological processes, regardless of genre or scale, to promote the realization of a circular bioeconomy. All entries will automatically be considered for the special prize.

For full details: https://crqlr.com/2024-special-prize/

Judging Criteria

• Creativity: Does the project offer a creative solution? Does it provide insights into the circular economy? (For People)
• Positive environmental impact: Does the project not only promote resource circulation but also have a positive effect on the environment? (For Planet)
• Problem-solving: Does it present solutions to societal or corporate challenges aiming for a circular economy? (For Profit)

crQlr Awards & Special Prize Benefits

• Winners of the special prize will be invited to exhibit at an event in Tokyo scheduled for March 2025 as part of the crQlr Summit and Exhibition.
• Special prize winners will receive round-trip transportation from their home country or Japan and up to three nights of accommodation in Tokyo (for one person per awardee) to attend the event.
• All winners will receive a unique award (named by the judges) and comments from the judges. These awards and comments will be shared through media outlets operated by Loftwork and FabCafe. The comments will be licensed under Creative Commons, allowing winners to freely use them in their own media and promotional efforts.
• All winners will be provided with a “crQlr Awards Winner” logo kit to use for promoting their projects.
• All winners will be featured on the websites and social media of FabCafe, Loftwork, and crQlr, and may also be promoted through media partners such as IDEAS FOR GOOD, Zenbird, and Circular Economy Hub.
• All winners will be eligible to participate in the crQlr Summit and Exhibition scheduled for March 2025.

Award schedule

• Application period: Tuesday, September 17, 2024 ~ Friday, October 18, 2024, 12:00 pm (Japan Standard Time)
• Judging period: November 2024
• Award announcement: January 2025
• crQlr Awards Exhibition / Summit: March 2025

Judges

The judging panel includes professionals with achievements in various fields such as innovation, design, AI, art, mobility, architecture, community, technology, and biology.

First row, from left:

• David Benjamin (Founding Principal of The Living and Associate Professor at Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation)
• Cecilia Tham (Co-founder and CEO at Futurity Systems)
• Gregory Constantine (Co-founder and CEO of Air Company)
• Anni Korkman (Programme Director of Luovi Productions, Helsinki Design Week)
• Renaud Haerlingen (Architect, former Principal at Rotor and Co-founder of Rotor Deconstruction)

Second row, from left:

• Sachiko Hirosue (Osaka Namari-Suzu Seirensho Co., Ltd. President and CEO)
• Maël Hénaff (Course Leader at MA Material Futures, Central Saint Martins London)
• Kalaya Kovidvisith (Co-Founder of FabCafe Bangkok)
• Gwyneth Jong (Co-Founder of FabCafe Kuala Lumpur)
• Nami Urano (Marketing Leader at FabCafe Kyoto, SPCS Community Manager)

Event management information

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