Guidelines

General Rules

  1. This award is organized by the World Design Organization (WDO)™ and administered by its Secretariat.
  2. By completing a nomination form, all applicants agree to the terms and conditions in full.
    WDO reserves the right to change, cancel, and suspend any part of the award for any reasons beyond its control.
  3. WDO assumes no responsibility for technical or natural events that prevent the submission or selection of a recipient.
  4. WDO reserves the right to not award the medal in any given term.
  5. WDO reserves the right to identify Honourable Mentions or have no designers shortlisted depending on the calibre of nominations submitted.
  6. WDO reserves the right to call in additional subject matter experts to assist the Selection Committee or substitute a Selection Committee Member in the case of illness or unavailability. Any changes to the Selection Committee will be communicated publicly as soon as practicable.
  7. WDO reserves the right at any time to reject submission(s) that do not meet the eligibility criteria.
  8. WDO reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time. These amendments will be communicated publicly.

Nomination Process

  1. Nominations must be submitted via an online form on the WDO website.
  2. There is no fee to submit a nomination.
  3. Self-nominations will not be accepted.
  4. Nominations must be received by 11:59:59 EST (noon) on 30 April 2017 via the WDO website.
  5. Late submissions will not be accepted. The WDO Secretariat is not responsible for late submissions due to computer or telecommunication failures.
  6. During the nomination phase, an online form will be available on the WDO website requiring contact information, nominee descriptions and links to supporting documents.
    WDO cannot receive nominations in confidence.
  7. Individuals as well as any relative (colleague, design firm, team or family member) directly or indirectly concerned with the award organization or adjudication are automatically excluded from competing, as well as excluded from carrying out, assisting in any way an entry to the award. Any involvement whatsoever will result in automatic disqualification from the award.

Selection Criteria

Nominees will be evaluated based on the criteria outlined below:

  1. Impact: The impact the nominee’s work has had on the quality of life of the intended beneficiaries
  2. Innovation: The combination of new and old approaches, the probability of transference of the core idea, the potential replication of technology used as well as the opportunity for reverse innovation.
  3. Context: The relevance of the designer’s work for the intended beneficiaries and the reflection of the local economic environment, infrastructure and culture in the design
  4. Sustainability: The sustainability, reliability, ease of maintenance and affordability of the design as well as the use of locally relevant, environmentally-friendly materials and suppliers.

Shortlisting and Voting Process

  1. The WDO Secretariat will ensure that nominees meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the call for nominations. The Secretariat will not judge the submissions on quality but will only ensure compliance with the eligibility criteria and guidelines.
  2. The Secretariat will pass along all submissions that meet the eligibility criteria to the Selection Committee.
  3. The Selection Committee will meet in June 2017 to select a winner.
  4. WDO reserves the right to identify Honourable Mentions or have no winner selected, depending on the calibre of nominees submitted.
  5. WDO reserves the right to call in additional subject matter experts to assist the Selection Committee or substitute a Selection Committee member in the case of illness or unavailability. Any changes to the Selection Committee will be communicated publicly as soon as practicable.
  6. The winner will be announced on World Industrial Design Day™, 29 June 2017.
  7. The winner will travel to Torino, Italy in October 2017 to accept the World Design Medal and deliver a presentation on socially responsible design.
  8. All entrants will accept the decision as final and binding. No further discussion or correspondence about the results shall be entered into.

Award Ceremony and Medal

  1. The winner will be invited to the World Design Organization’s 30th General Assembly in Torino, Italy, 14-15 October 2017.
  2. The winner will be presented with a medal and invited to give a presentation on socially-responsible design.
  3. WDO is not responsible for any duties/costs associated with the transportation of the medal or any other materials the winner wishes to transport to/from Torino to/from their country of residence.
  4. If for some reason, the winner cannot attend the event in Torino then the runner up will step up as winner and claim the medal.

Ownership/IP rights

The intellectual property shall remain the property of the nominee. It is the responsibility of the nominee to protect their intellectual property, as submitted information about the nominee and their work will be shared with the public via the WDO website and social media.

Equal Opportunity

WDO encourages nominations from its Members and from the general public. The WDO Secretariat will make all reasonable efforts to facilitate the completion of nominations regardless of technical and language barriers.

Personal Information

  1. All contact information provided during the nomination process will be restricted to use by the Secretariat only and will not be made publicly available or provided to any third party without the express consent of the individual(s) involved.
  2. By entering the World Design Medal, nominees agree to the use by WDO of all images, videos and descriptions across all media channels, including the Internet, in communications to the WDO Membership and the general public. This agreement covers materials and communications created after the year ends and includes any future promotional materials by WDO.
  3. Nominees 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.
  4. The winner and finalists of the Medal agree to take part in any publicity and promotional activity surrounding the Medal 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 Medal. Entrants must send in copies electronically.
  2. The nominator has the express consent of the nominee to complete the online form and provide supporting documentation.