Have you ever wondered how we can transform our throwaway culture into a regenerative and restorative system? The Wege Prize 2025 offers such an opportunity by inviting students to collaborate and design innovative solutions that challenge the status quo.

The Wege Prize, organized by Kendall College of Art and Design’s Wege Center for Sustainable Design and supported by the Wege Foundation, is an annual competition that seeks to ignite ground-breaking solutions for the future. This competition encourages college and university students worldwide to work across institutional, disciplinary, and cultural boundaries, aiming to redesign economic systems to be more sustainable and circular.

Throughout nine months, teams will board on a journey that transforms their ideas from informal proposals into robust and feasible solutions. They will receive guides from expert judges who provide feedback at every stage, helping them refine their ideas and bring their vision to life. The competition ends in a final presentation, where participants can win up to $65,000 in total cash prizes while showcasing the future of problem-solving.

Key Details and Dates

• Application Deadline: October 6, 2024
• Result Announcement Dates: Judges’ Feedback on Phase 1 by October 27, 2024; Phase 2 by January 12, 2025; Phase 3 by March 16, 2025; Final Presentation and Awards Event on May 16, 2025
• Funding Type: Cash prizes
• Host Institution: Kendall College of Art and Design‘s Wege Center for Sustainable Design
• Eligible Countries: All
• Eligible Gender: Male/Female
• Target Group: College/University students
• Field: Circular Economy, Sustainable Design
• Study Level: Undergraduate and Graduate
• Number of Opportunities: Multiple teams competing
• Duration: Nine months
• Program Language: English
• Host Country: United States (Final Presentation in Grand Rapids, Michigan)

Benefits and Financial Aids

The prize details and benefits are as follows:

• Total Cash Prizes: USD 65,000
• Travel Expense Reimbursement: Up to USD 3,000 for each finalist team for the final presentation
• Expert Guidance: Direct feedback from a panel of judges throughout the competition
• Opportunity for Global Recognition: Showcase your solutions on an international stage

Brief Details

Wege Prize 2025 is a global competition that challenges student teams to develop innovative solutions that contribute to a circular economy. Over nine months, teams will transform their ideas into viable, scalable, and systemic solutions, with the chance to win cash prizes.

Eligibility Criteria

• Participants: Teams of five students from any college or university around the world can apply for this challenge
• Team Composition: Must be transdisciplinary, involving diverse academic backgrounds
• Problem Focus: Must address a “wicked problem” using principles of the circular economy

The challenge for Wege Prize Participants:

Participants in the Wege Prize must form a strong, diverse team of five students from different disciplines to tackle a “wicked” problem—a complex issue with multiple stakeholders that is difficult to resolve. The goal is to create a solution rooted in the three core principles of the circular economy: eliminating waste, keeping materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.

What is a Wicked Problem?
A wicked problem is a highly complex challenge involving multiple stakeholders, making it particularly resistant to resolution. Addressing one aspect often reveals or creates new obstacles that must be overcome.

What Wege Prize Seeks:

Wege Prize looks for solutions that are:

• Circular: Accelerating the transition to a circular economy by eliminating waste.
• Innovative: Providing unique value and exploring untapped potential.
• Viable: Demonstrating marketability, profitability, and financial sustainability.
• Scalable: Contributing to the global expansion of the circular economy.
• Systemic: Considering the interconnectedness of all parts of the system.
• Behaviorally Independent: If behavioral change is required, a clear strategy must be in place to drive it.
• Human-Centered: Based on thorough research and consideration of the user and affected communities.

Required Documents

You must submit the required documents:

• Team Application: Including team members’ details and academic backgrounds
• Research Plan: Brief explanation of the chosen “wicked problem,” systemic analysis, stakeholder engagement, and involvement of mentors/subject matter experts

Selection Process

Phase 1: Team Application And Research Plan (Due October 6, 2024)
Start by introducing your team, identifying the problem, and developing a research plan to evolve into your solution. You don’t need to present a final solution yet, but focus on the big picture and be bold in your intentions.
Research Plans Should Address:

• The wicked problem you’re tackling and its systemic nature.
• Key factors affecting the problem (social, technological, ecological, etc.).
• How does solving this problem support a circular economy and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (select 1-3)?
• Stakeholders involved and how you’ll engage them.
• Your approach to involving mentors or experts in the design process
• Next steps.

Phase 2: Project Summary – First Draft (Due December 16, 2024)
Use the judges’ feedback to turn your research plan into a concrete circular solution, involving stakeholders throughout. Submit a document that includes:

• Solution Summary: A concise (1-2 sentence) summary of your solution.
• Problem Context & Solution Overview: Conditions surrounding the problem and how your solution aligns with circular economy principles
• Impact Assessment: How your solution differs from others, who it benefits, and potential impacts
• Prototyping: Steps taken to begin prototyping your solution.
• Barrier Acknowledgement: Challenges and how you plan to address them

Phase 3: Project Summary – Second Draft (Due February 23, 2025)
Refine your Project Summary based on feedback, adding detailed analysis supported by data:

• Material Analysis: Resources used and their alignment with the circular economy.
• Economic Analysis: Business model viability, strengths, weaknesses, risks, and solutions

Phase 4: Final Project Summary + Presentation Materials (Due May 11, 2025)
Update your Final Project Summary and prepare presentation materials. Finalist teams will present their solution at the 2025 Wege Prize Awards in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, on May 16, 2025.

• Final Presentation: A ten-minute presentation followed by a ten-minute Q&A session.
• Travel Reimbursement: Finalist teams receive up to USD 3,000 for travel expenses.

Assessment Criteria

• Depth of Research: Problem analysis, existing solutions, stakeholder consultation, and system impact
• Innovation & Implementation: Circular economy acceleration, feasibility, cultural sensitivity, and prototyping
• Collaboration: Strong, interdisciplinary teamwork and stakeholder engagement
• Presentation: Clarity, visual appeal, and effective communication

How to Apply?

Visit the WegePrize admission portal to submit your team application and research plan by October 6, 2024. Follow the guidelines and deadlines for each phase of the competition.

Apply Now

Further details and information about the Wege Prize are available on the official website.

Check More Prizes:

UNDRR 2025 RISK Award for Developing Countries in the Global South

Hinrich Foundation Award for Distinguished Reporting on Trade 2024 ($10,000 Prize)

Ramsar Wetland Conservation Awards 2024 (Prize: USD 10,000)

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