……..an open invitation for young people under the age of 25 anywhere in the world to share their work and activism.
The World Around, a platform for design and architecture’s now, near and next, is pleased to announce the inaugural Young Climate Prize. The prize is an open invitation for young people under the age of 25 anywhere in the world to apply with an existing project of their own that is helping to combat the climate crisis by creating positive change in their community.
The World Around is looking for diverse, global, inspiring projects driven by a shared goal of ecological justice: from groups who are organizing clean-up operations or campaigns for visibility, equity and accessibility in their local area to those who are designing and inventing objects, systems or materials that mitigate climate change.
The Prize
A group of 25 under-25s will be chosen to participate in a curated program led by a global group of more than 30 “Design Champions.” Composed of The World Around’s alumni and close community of renowned academics, designers and thinkers, these Design Champions will provide mentorship and leadership to support the projects and careers of the cohort. At the end of the program, three finalists will be invited to New York City to be part of The World Around’s 2023 annual summit at the Guggenheim Museum.
The Young Climate Prize is supported by Meta Open Arts and The World Around community of patrons.
Beatrice Galilee, Executive Director of The World Around says: “The inaugural Young Climate Prize is inspired by the young people who continue to rally all over the world to bring the climate emergency to the international agenda. We want to invest in the generation born into this crisis, highlight their activism, creativity and passion and connect them to a wide and expansive network of practitioners who can champion their ideas. The World Around is committed to engaging the global design and architecture industry to enable positive change at scale.”
Tina Vaz, Head of Meta Open Arts says: “The Young Climate Prize is a moment to shine light on the next generation of problem solvers working at the forefront of the most pressing issues facing our planet. I applaud Beatrice for establishing this important platform for change. Meta Open Arts is proud to be a global partner for The World Around and we are thrilled to support young thinkers in bringing their ideas to fruition.”
The Design Champions
The group of lecturers and mentors are composed of leading designers and climate thinkers from 15 countries and five continents, including:
- Antón García-Abril and Débora Mesa, architects and founders, Ensamble Studio, Madrid
- Wael Al Awar and Kazuma Yamao, architects and founders, WaiWai, Dubai
- Nelly Ben Hayoun, director, University of the Underground, London
- Tatiana Bilbao, architect and founder, Tatiana Bilbao Estudio, Mexico City
- Carson Chan, director, Emilio Ambasz Institute at MomA, New York City
- Vishaan Chakrabarti, founder and creative director, PAU, New York City
- Aric Chen, general and artistic director, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam
- Emma Osore and Daphne Lundi, founders BlackSpace urbanist collective, New York City
- José Esparza Chong Cuy, executive director and chief curator, Storefront for Art and Architecture, New York City
- Frida Escobedo, architect, Mexico City
- Joseph Grima,creative director, Design Academy Eindhoven, Eindhoven
- Sandra Jackson-Dumont, director and CEO, Lucas Museum, Los Angeles
- Sandhya Naidu Janardhan, founder and managing director, Community Design Agency, Mumbai
- Kabage Karanja and Stella Mutegi, architects, founders and directors, Cave Bureau, Nairobi
- Alder Keleman Saxena, curator and editor, Feral Atlas, Flagstaff
- Jing Liu, architect and principal, SO-IL, New York City
- Etta Madete, sustainable architectural designer, BuildX, Nairobi
- Julian Oliver, artist and critical engineer, Berlin
- Henk Ovink, UN special envoy for International Water Affairs, Rotterdam
- David OReilly, artist and game developer, Los Angeles
- Joar Nango, artist, Trømso
- Mariana Pestana, architect, author, and curator, Lisbon
- Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli, founders, Design Emergency, London/New York City
- Susan Sellers, founder and creative director, 2×4, New York City
- Noura Al Sayeh Holtrop, head of architectural affairs, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Manama
- Sumayya Vally, founder and designer, Counterspace, Johannesburg
- Xu Tiantian, founding principal, DnA, Beijing
- Meta Design Champion, to be confirmed
The Design Champions are committed to engaging in a dialogue between generations, and nurturing the unique, radical and brilliant projects for climate resilience from those who will inherit our planet and have a critical impact on its future.
“The climate crisis is becoming the defining challenge of our world, which will have a greater impact on our younger generations. It will take the efforts of many generations to fight the change. The Young Climate Prize provides an opportunity to build up the climate and environmental awareness as the fundamental principle to our profession”.
– Xu TianTian, DnA
“Design’s elemental role is as an agent of change that can help us to ensure that we make the most of changes and challenges of any type, while avoiding their dangers. It has the potential to be one of our most powerful tools in addressing the climate emergency, if it is applied sensitively, intelligently and responsibly.”
– Alice Rawsthorn, Design Emergency
“The seeming intractability of our (lack of) response to the climate crisis is due to deeply entrenched interests, habits and worldviews that require new energy and perspectives to overcome. This makes supporting younger thinkers and talents, and amplifying their voices, all the more critical.”
– Aric Chen, Het Nieuwe Instituut
“While it is not fair, the brunt of climate change will fall on younger generations, as will the impetus to help address it. Rather than bemoan this condition, the Young Climate Prize celebrates the optimism, creative intelligence, and potential of our youth around the planet.”
– Vishaan Chakrabarti, PAU
The Application Process: Your Turn, Your Voice
Are you, or do you know, a young climate thinker, designer, coder or leader under 25-years-old who has created a unique, radical and brilliant project? From young people organizing clean-up operations or campaigns for visibility, equity and accessibility in their communities to those who are designing and inventing objects, systems or materials that mitigate climate change, we are looking for diverse, global, inspiring projects driven by a shared goal of ecological justice.
Nominations for the Young Climate Prize open on Earth Day (Friday, 22nd April 2022). Individuals or small groups can be self-nominated, or put forward by peers, teachers, friends, and family.
Nominations are not submissions. In June 2022, nominees will submit their full project profile to be considered for the “25 under 25” group to share their work with the Design Champions. The Design Champions will select this group. Parameters for projects are wide, with expected submissions including work that addresses water, energy, displacement, food, waste to those that raise awareness in their communities.
