Pratt Institute

Copenhagen Bike-Share Competition
Copenhagen is a unique, world-class cycling city and this fact should be refl ected in the city’s bike share system. Our city is the best example of how the bicycle can become the preferred form of transport in a modern city. An attractive and modern bike share system can contribute to strengthening Copenhagen’s bicycle culture. Therefore The City of Copenhagen is pleased to launch an open design competition in order to determine how a bike share system v. 3.0 would look and work in the city in the future. The possibilities are numerous and only the fantasy sets the limit. It is therefore my hope that this open design competition will result in a interdisciplinary solution and that many people will enter their ideas so that in a few short years we can show off an innovative bike share system here in the City of Cyclists. Criterion 1: The City of Copenhagen expects that the entire bike share system entry expresses a complete and supporting design concept that is visionary and which possesses a strong brand identity. Criterion 2: Design and Form. The City of Copenhagen expects that the entries for a new bike share system contain elements that underline the vision of a modern city, with emphasis on eff ective and environmentally-friendly transport forms. Criterion 3: Visibility, User-friendliness and Logistics. The new bike share system should be easy to use and easy to access. Criterion 4: Interaction with the City. The new bike share system must possess the potential to strengthen the sustainable mobility in Copenhagen and, at the same time, interact with the city’s architectural expression. In other words, the new system should compliment both the city and the people who use it. Deadline: November 18, 2009
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Socio Design Foundation Challenge: Sociology of Greed
Between Architecture and Sociology is the recognition of spatial impact on the psyche of society. To understand this impact fully is perhaps impossible. But to understand that it exists is the opportunity to use design to change the world. Through a single vignette, respond with a spatial interpretation and/or answer to November's challenge.
Deadline: November 27, 2009
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2009 SHIFTboston Competition
The SHIFTboston challenge is intended for architects, artists, landscape architects, urban designers, engineers and anyone else who would like to tackle the question: What if this could happen in Boston? SHIFTboston seeks to collect new visions for Boston's urban environment. We want innovative and radical ideas for new city elements such as: public art installation, landscape, architecture, urban intervention and transportation. Competitors should explore topics such as: renewable energy, energy efficiency and ecological urbanism.
Deadline: November 30, 2009
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Metropolis Next Generation Design Competition
Now in its seventh year, Metropolis' Next Generation Design Competition continues to recognize design innovation on every scale-from the efficient desk lamp to the innovative urban plan, and everything in between. The competition invites proposals and finished projects that will improve our designed environment through bold thinking and inventive new ideas from young designers practicing ten years or less who are either part of a large or independent firm, an individual, or a student. Each year, the winning applicant is awarded $10,000 prize money to help realize his or her design, or take it to the next step in its development.
DUE DATE: January 29, 2010
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I.D. 2010 Annual Design Review
Since 1954, the Annual Design Review has recognized the best in product, furniture, graphic, and environment design, from the iconic to the obscure. Throughout the years, this annual showcase has chronicled the evolution of design, and highlighted its impact on our material and visual culture. Each year, the featured work is chosen by a jury of leading practitioners, who, along with I.D.'s editorial team, focus the abundance of submissions into a clear survey of the state of design. The resulting overview is published in the July/August issue of I.D. magazine — the Annual Design Review issue. Categories include furniture, environments, graphics, packaging, and more.
Deadline: December 1, 2009
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2009 Delta Cup: Solar Building Design Competition
Delta introduces an international competition created to help rebuild the Wenchuan province after the earthquake. The competition asks interested interested individuals and teams to design a rural grade school that integrates solar technology. Winners will have their designs built and there will be two first prize winners.
Deadline: December 1, 2009
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EPA Green Building Funding
Numerous sources of funding for green building are available at the national, state and local levels for homeowners, industry, government organizations and nonprofits. We are providing the links on this page to help you find a variety of funding sources including grants, tax-credits, loans, or others.
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Sallan Foundation
The Sallan Foundation improves the urban environment by advancing useful knowledge for greener, high performance cities. It will chart new territory by supporting activities that transform innovative ideas and promising models into the "new normal" for the metropolis. Working with others, Sallan will spotlight trends and scrutinize lessons learned because the urban environment must become a key to the solution of a sustainable future.
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NYSERDA
NYSERDA contracts are initiated by two methods: Competitive Solicitations and Unsolicited Proposals; however, it is NYSERDA's policy to use competitive solicitations to the maximum extent possible. Notices of competitive solicitations are provided to individuals, firms, and organizations through the New York State Contract Reporter, the State Register (when applicable), targeted mailings and postings to NYSERDA's website. Competitive solicitations are open to all qualified firms. Proposals are expeditiously and vigorously peer-reviewed. Successful proposers are awarded projects under NYSERDA's streamlined contracting process. NYSERDA fosters and promotes the participation of minority- and women-owned business enterprises.
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Empire State Development Corporation
Empire State Development (ESD) offers financial assistance for research, development and demonstration (RD&D) projects that lead to measurable pollution prevention and economic development outcomes. Through the Environmental Investment Program, funds are available on a competitive basis to test, evaluate and/or demonstrate the technical and/or economic feasibility of technologies or practices that prevent, reuse, remanufacture or recycle waste. RD&D contracts are limited to small and medium-sized New York State businesses and non-profit organizations that either employ fewer than 500 workers or earn less than $10 million in gross annual sales. RD&D applications with the highest promise for leading directly to the commercialization or use of the technology or process are preferred. ESD does not support basic research or research that leaves unanswered a significant number of questions key to the successful commercialization or use of the technology or process. ESD only supports RD&D projects in which a New York State firm(s) demonstrates a commitment and ability to directly implement the project results.
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Valley Development Council Call for Entries
The Valley Development Council, in collaboration with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, would like to invite you to participate in the 2009 Smart Growth Design & Reuse Competition. Architects, designers and planners are invited to prepare concept plans for the redevelopment of two significant downtown/village center sites in the Pioneer Valley, a region of Western Massachusetts defined by the Connecticut River Valley. These redevelopment sites are located in Southampton and Palmer. The goal for this international design competition is to create a local example of smart re-use, and to provide a model of how communities in the region can grow smarter. With the partnerships formed through this competition process, there will be significant momentum for turning the winning concept plan idea into reality. Early registration is open until October 15, 2009.
Late registration is due by January 15, 2010.
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US Community Forestry Research Fellowship (CFRF) Program
The US Community Forestry Research Fellowship (CFRF) Program provides many different fellowships to graduate students to support research in their field of work in the U.S. Research may cover a broad array of issues, not just forestry so do apply. There are dissertation fellowships, predissertation fellowships, and masters fellowships.
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Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable & Social Enterprise
The Pratt Design Incubator for Sustainable & Social Enterprise and Entrepreneurship is a vibrant and energetic atmosphere nurturing the entrepreneurial talents of the designers, artists and architects of the Pratt community. The Incubator is a brave benefactor of environmental social and cultural initiative, and the growing hub of a network of legal, business, engineering and manufacturing experts who share a common value - linking the social entrepreneur/designer with the business of design.
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Echoing Green
Launched in 1987, Echoing Green's mission is to spark social change by identifying, investing and supporting the world's most exceptional emerging leaders and the organizations they launch. Through a two-year fellowship program, we help our network of visionaries develop new solutions to society’s most difficult problems. These social entrepreneurs and their organizations work to close deeply-rooted social, economic and political inequities to ensure equal access and to help all individuals reach his/her potential. To date, Echoing Green has invested nearly $25 million in seed and start up grants to over 400 social entrepreneurs and their innovative organizations.
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ReCycle This Site Competition
This competition offers a chance to take a lead in today’s environmentally conscious economy and gain national recognition for cutting edge, innovative redevelopment techniques. ReCycle This Site is looking for designers that think outside the lines and are willing to take risks. This project will result in a conceptual development tool which goes beyond compliance and offers “out of the box”, innovative approaches to flood plain issues, stormwater management requirements, the use of green building designs, re-use of existing infrastructure, Brownfield issues; erosion control, and other watershed. This design competition is open to architecture students only, under the direction of class professors.
Deadline: December 18, 2009
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iLAB - A Collaborative Residency Program
iLAB is a collaborative residency program between movement based artists and scientists, environmentalists, urban designers/landscape architects, architects and others that will integrate creative practice within the different fields/disciplines. Contact: info@ilandart.org or 917-860-8239.
20010 Residency Schedule: May - September 2010.
Deadline: 5 pm, March 19th, 2010.
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The Chicago 2010 Initiative
Among the questions we seek to answer through this competitive event are: “How can we use design to bring to connect a community to positives of its past while bringing the all the benefits of today’s technologies?” Also, “What are ways we can utilize form and function to instill worth, pride, and hope to regions of disenfranchisement and disillusionment? Specifically, challenge one is to spur greater urban renewal of this locale through the proposal of a design for a Chicago Union Stockyards Museum & Education Center incorporating the landmark gate and expanding the park. The second design challenge is provide sustainable residential spaces which encourage assimilation and foster dignity, community and opportunities for immediate vocational participation to immigrant communities currently dwelling in less than desirable conditions in many Western European countries and in the U.S. Finalists will be chosen from among the entrants which will then be made available to the public for voting to determine the most practical and pleasing interpretation of the given design project.
Deadline: March 15, 2010
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Reducing Public Exposure to Indoor Pollutants
This notice announces the availability of funds and solicits proposals for assistance agreements in the form of grants, from eligible organizations, for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency?s (EPA) Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools (IAQTFS) Program, Asthma projects, or an integration of both. These proposed projects must support demonstration, training, outreach and/or education grants that reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants and yield measurable environmental outcomes. Projects that address areas of greatest need, where the most risk reduction can be achieved, are desirable.
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World Habitat Awards
The World Habitat Awards were established in 1985 by the Building and Social Housing Foundation as part of its contribution to the United Nations International Year of Shelter for the Homeless. Two awards are given annually to projects from the global North as well as the South that provide practical and innovative solutions to current housing needs and problems. Every year an award of £10,000 is presented to each of the two winners at the annual United Nations global celebration of World Habitat Day. Travel and accommodation costs are also met for one representative of each winning project to attend the awards ceremony.
Deadline: June 1, 2010
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IESNYC Tenth Annual Student Lighting Competition
IESNYC Tenth Annual Student Lighting Competition Deadline: 03.03.2010 The New York City Section of the Illuminating Engineering Society is pleased to announce a call for entries for the Tenth Annual Student Lighting Competition. Students located within the IESNYC chapter are being invited to participate in this unique design competition. This includes anyone within the NYC area as well as Columbia, Dutchess, Green, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester counties. Every year, students of varied fields of study have submitted projects, resulting in a diverse showcase of ideas and interpretations on a single theme. This year we are challenging students to interpret and express how light facilitates, defines, or bridges a point of transition. The students are to interpret and express this theme in the form of a 3-Dimensional abstract lighting composition; constructed of their choice of materials. All projects must have a title, incorporate at least one electric light source, and be easily transportable in a NYC cab. The entries will be reviewed and scored by a jury of distinguished judges who are active within the NYC design community. Winners will be selected on the basis of originality and the overall quality of concept execution. The Grand prize provides an opportunity for these emerging artists to earn $2,000 in cash in addition to an all-expense paid trip to the PLDA Lighting Workshop in Europe. The 2nd and 3rd place Prizes will be $1,000 and $500 cash prize with a trip to G.E.'s Lighting Institute at Nela Park in Cleveland, Ohio. Competition registration will be accepted online through Feb, 24th 2010.
Deadline: March 3, 2010
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UrbanOmnibus Call for Entries
Calling all writers, architects, planners, designers, artists, photographers, filmmakers, technologists, activists, scholars and citizens. Urban Omnibus is an online project of the Architectural League that creates a new kind of conversation about design and New York City. With a goal to increase understanding of the city, the Architectural League has and encouraged ideas that can lead to a more inclusive, more sustainable, and more beautiful city that could be. Ideas for content pieces are welcome at all times.
Deadline: Ongoing
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GREEN GOOD DESIGN CONTEST
Like the GOOD DESIGN Program of 1950, anything and everything is eligible for submission with the emphasis on architecture, interior, landscape, product and graphic design that has successfully focussed on the development and implementation of enabling instruments that support actual measures to achieve CO2-reduction, energy conservation, renewable energy sources, recycling, sustainability, quality of life and environment, economic viability, and environmental economics.
Deadline: Nov 1, 2010.
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EPA Smart Growth Implementation Assistance
Free technical assistance available. Communities, regions, and states around the country are interested in building stronger neighborhoods, protecting their environmental resources, enhancing public health, and planning for development, but they may lack the tools, resources, or information to achieve these goals. EPA can help applicants overcome these roadblocks by providing evaluation tools and expert analysis.

The Development, Community, and Environment Division in U.S. EPA's Office of Policy, Economics, and Innovation is responding to this need by issuing a request for applications for the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program. Through this program, a team of multidisciplinary experts will provide free technical assistance to communities, regions, or states that want to develop in ways that meet environmental and other local or regional goals.

EPA is soliciting applications from communities that want help with either policy analysis or public participatory processes. Selected communities will receive assistance in the form of a multi-day visit from a team of experts organized by EPA and other national partners to work with local leaders.
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What can you make from a sheet of 100% recycled plastic?
Plastics manufacturer Axion Polymers is holding a design competition anchored around the manufacturing side of things, specifically, their new product, a 100% recycled polystyrene sheet:

Axion is seeking designs for a novel household product with mass market appeal that could be manufactured from its Axfoil or Axpoly products, which are derived from 100% recycled refrigerator plastic, TV casings or post-consumer electronic games consoles.

Ideas could be completely unique or based on improving an existing product on the market, but the crucial element is that they embody the 'green' credentials and environmental profile of the material.

"A product made from 100% recycled plastic, such as Axpoly, that can be recycled at the end of its useful life, will have an immediate environmental advantage; saving 90% of CO2 emissions in its initial manufacture and reducing carbon impact over the product's lifecycle," says Axion director Keith Freegard.

Get the details here: Contest Rules PDF

Entries must be submitted by January 8th 2010.

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