Montreal (Canada), 7 July  2021World Design Organization (WDO)® is pleased to announce this year’s 10 shortlisted projects for the World Design Impact Prize™ (WDIP). Addressing a broad range of issues including water sanitation and hygiene, homelessness, the COVID-19 pandemic, maternal health and plastic waste, these industrial design-driven projects are having a positive impact on our social, economic, cultural or environmental quality of life.

“2021 marks the fourth cycle of our WDIP programme, where we have seen the highest number of submissions to date from over 20 countries,” stated WDO President Srini Srinivasan. “We are proud to showcase the meaningful work that designers are doing in communities across the globe and to celebrate such an impressive group of projects that are setting new benchmarks for social impact design and making a difference in the lives of everyday people.”

In alphabetical order, the WDIP 2021 shortlisted projects are:

  1. Backpack Bed for Homeless
  2. Complete Intrapartum and Postpartum Monitoring System
  3. COVID-19 Youth Innovation Challenge
  4. FebriSol
  5. JERRY: The Jerrycan Waterfilter
  6. Movable “Huo-Yan” Product Series
  7. My Safetipin 
  8. Solar Water ATM, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) for Coastal Vulnerable Villages of Sundarbans
  9. SquatEase
  10. TRASHPRESSO

For details on each project and the design teams behind them, please visit the WDIP 2021 Shortlist Gallery.

Nominated projects for the World Design Impact Prize were reviewed by a panel of five multidisciplinary experts who committed time and expertise to select this year’s shortlist. They are: Chetan Choudhury, Teresa Franqueira, Wenny Kusuma, Don Norman and Adele Peters.

The shortlist will be voted on by WDO’s international membership in September 2021, with the winner scheduled to be announced in October.

In parallel, WDO is also pleased to announce Ms. Subin Doo, a third-year industrial design student at Carleton University (Canada) as the winner of the World Design Impact Prize Student Trophy Competition, which called on students from WDO Educational Member institutions to design the trophy that will be presented to this year’s World Design Impact Prize recipient.

Ms. Doo’s, trophy design presented a combination of simplicity and structure that showcases four poles, each representing one of four pillars of sustainability and a glass cone that can be customized to contain materials that complement the winning project. “By incorporating sustainable materials, and a simple yet impactful aesthetic, Ms Doo’s trophy concept offered a unique interpretation of the essence of the World Design Impact Prize and really speaks to what we are working to achieve with this programme,” noted Srinivasan.

The winning trophy design will be produced and presented to the winner of the World Design Impact Prize 2021.

About World Design Organization

World Design Organization (WDO) is an international non-governmental organization and the international voice for industrial design. We advocate for Design for a Better World, promoting and sharing knowledge of industrial design-driven innovation that enhances the economic, social, cultural, and environmental quality of life. Today, WDO services over 185 member organizations, representing thousands of industrial designers around the world. 

About World Design Impact Prize 

The World Design Impact Prize™ was established in 2011 to honour and elevate industrial design driven projects that benefit society. With the goal of encouraging a global exchange of meaningful solutions, the award aims to bring visibility and recognition to socially responsible design initiatives around the world. 

Media contact
Natalie Dutil, WDO Communications Manager
natalie@wdo.org

Tags: ,