Terms & Conditions

General Rules

  1. This competition is organized by the World Design Organization® hereafter referred to as WDO and administered by its Secretariat.
  2. By submitting a completed project application, all applicants agree to the terms and conditions in full.
  3. WDO reserves the right to change, cancel, and suspend any part of the award for any reasons beyond its control.
  4. WDO reserves the right to not award the Prize in any given cycle if it does not find a project that fulfils its criteria.
  5. WDO assumes no responsibility for technical or natural events that prevent the submission or selection of a project.
  6. WDO reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time. Any amendments will be communicated publicly.
  7. WDO reserves the right to reject submissions that do not meet the entry requirements at any time.

Timeline

  1. Submissions must be received by 23:59:59 EDT on 30 April 2021 via the wdo.org website.
  2. Late submissions will not be accepted. The WDO Secretariat is not responsible for entries, which are incomplete or late due to computer or telecommunication failures.
  3. Submitted projects must include supporting documents, project descriptions, images and/or videos via wdo.org by 30 April 2021 23:59:59 EDT.
  4. Following the submission phase, all projects will be assessed by a review panel. A shortlist of 10 projects will be determined by June 2021.
  5. All nominees will be informed of the status of their project by email by July 2021 (exact date to be determined).
  6. On 1 September 2021 electronic voting will open to WDO Members in good standing to determine the finalists for World Design Impact Prize. Voting will close on 15 September 2021 at 23:59:59 EDT.
  7. The winner will be announced during the World Design Assembly in October 2021.

Prize

  1.  The winner will be presented with a trophy.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. Projects should showcase the expanding ways that design can make a positive impact on the world, including the design of systems and experiences. Submissions or participation from other design disciplines are welcome but eligible projects must:
    a. yield positive impact and reflect socially conscious design;
    b. be industrial design driven and/or showcase innovative uses of industrial design;
    c. demonstrate design thinking in the planning (participatory planning, co-design) as well in the design itself;
    d. reflect the vision of WDO to create a world where design enhances our social, cultural, economic and environmental quality of life.
  2. Relatives, colleagues, design firms, family members and team members of the WDO Secretariat team are not eligible to submit nominations or project submissions.

Selection Guidelines

  1. The impact the project has on the quality of life of the target audience for which it is intended.
  2. The relevance of the project to the local context and the target audience for which it is intended.
  3. The simplicity of the design (from the perspective of maintenance and financing) and how well it uses locally relevant and available materials and suppliers.
  4. An understanding of the local economic environment, infrastructure and culture and how that is reflected in the design.
  5. The reliability, maintenance, sustainability (including affordability) and dispersion/reproduction potential of the design.
  6. The impact the project has on the policies of the target audience in which it is situated.
  7. The design process that was utilized.

Selection Process

  1. The WDO Secretariat will ensure that the submissions meet the rules and criteria outlined in the call for submission. The WDO Secretariat will not evaluate the submissions on quality or design work, but will only ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria and award rules.
  2. The WDIP Review Panel will meet between 10 May 2021 and 31 May 2021 to assess the projects and shortlist ten (10) projects eligible for World Design Impact Prize .
  3. WDO reserves the right to identify honourable mentions or have no projects shortlisted depending on the calibre of projects submitted.
  4. Beginning on 1 September 2021, WDO Members will be invited to vote electronically to rank submissions to determine finalists and winners.
  5. Voting will close at 23:59:59 EDT on 15 September 2021.
  6. Only WDO Members in good standing (whose dues were paid as of 31 August 2021) are eligible to vote.
  7. Each member will have one vote for World Design Impact Prize.
  8. The World Design Impact Prize winner will be announced in October 2021.
  9. All entrants will accept the final decision as binding and final and no further discussion or correspondence about the results shall be entered into.

How to enter

  1. Projects can either be nominated by a third party before 23:59:59 EDT on 31 March 2021 and subsequently fill out the submission form, or submitted directly by 23:59:59 EDT on 30 April 2021.
  2. All submissions must complete the appropriate submission form and provide necessary information and answer application questions therein. The forms are available on wdo.org and must be completed online in English.
  3. There is no fee to submit a project.

Submission requirements

  1. While projects may be the result of work done by a team, applicants are asked to identify a Project Lead that will act as the liaison with WDO and be contacted with all subsequent communication.
  2. If an entry is the work of a team or group, the Project Lead is responsible for compliance and knowledge of terms and conditions by the other group members.
  3. Misuse of the website will result in termination of access. Misuse consists of:
    a. Uploading viruses
    b. Any indecent material, remarks, content etc.
  4. During the project submission phase, an online form will be available on the WDO.org website requiring contact information, project descriptions, supporting documents etc. The online form must be completed for the submission to proceed to the review phase.
  5. The following file types will be accepted for supporting documents that are requested as attachments:
    a. All images should be in .jpeg format
    b. All sketches, 3D/2D renderings should be submitted as PDFs
    c. All videos should be uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo and hyperlinks provided in the application form.
    d. Any supporting letters or reports should be PDFs or .docs.
  6. WDO cannot receive entries in confidence. The online form must be completed for the submission to proceed to the review phase.

Ownership/IP rights

  1. Project Leads confirms that the work is their intellectual property and they are authorized to share information on the initiative as well as any supporting documentation.
  2. It is the responsibility of the submitting initiative to protect their intellectual property, as submitted information about the project will be shared with the public via the WDO.org website.
  3. All plans, blueprints, copyrights, ideas and products submitted remain the property of the submitting initiatives.
  4. The right to feature original work does not give WDO the right of possession or sale.
  5. The right to feature original work does not give WDO the right of reproduction without prior written consent.
  6. The right to feature original work does not give WDO the right to alter the work without prior written consent.

Equal Opportunity

  1. WDO encourages a wide range of submissions from around the globe and will make all reasonable efforts to facilitate the completion of applications regardless of technical and language barriers.
  2. WDO reserves the right to refuse any submission that it deems inappropriate or incomplete especially any submission that includes profanity, pornography, indecent images or references.

Personal information

  1. All entrants’ contact details will be restricted to the registration process and will not be made publicly available or provided to any third party without the express consent of the individual involved.
  2. The contact details provided will be used by WDO to communicate with the Project Lead.
  3. All information submitted in the application form will be shared with the Review Panel and the WDO Secretariat. Some of the responses provided in the application will be used to draft content about each eligible submission on wdo.org, social media or other media that will be shared publicly. No confidential or contact information will be shared publicly on the wdo.org website.
  4. By entering World Design Impact Prize, the entrants agree to the use of all its images, videos and descriptions across all media channels, including the Internet by WDO in its communications to the WDO Membership and the general public. This agreement covers materials and communications created after the WDIP 2021 cycle ends and includes any future publications and exhibitions or promotion of WDO’s.
  5. Entrants may be asked to be part of publicity opportunities but have the right to decline any opportunity they do not wish to personally be involved in.
  6. The winner and finalists of World Design Impact Prize agree to take part in any publicity and promotional activity surrounding this award programme and its future iterations. As part of their ambassadorial role they may be asked to participate in activities and interviews as suggested by WDO.

Liability

  1. WDO is not responsible for returning any documents, plans, drawings or materials submitted as supporting documents for the prize. Entrants are encouraged to solely send copies electronically.
  2. By entering, the applicant has the express consent of the institution or collective to be its designated liaison and thus WDO recognizes the individual who completes the submission for a nominated project as the official liaison designated by that project. WDO shall thus have no obligation to the group – only to the designated individual liaison.

Checks and Audits

  1. Upon request, WDO will provide the name and contact information of the nominators to all nominees.