World Design Impact Prize
The World Design Impact Prize was developed to reward a socially responsible design project or initiative in which design proves or has the potential to enrich or improve the quality of life on a social, environmental, cultural or economic scale. This biennial award seeks to promote and recognize projects based on industrial design that use design to benefit society.
The World Design Impact Prize was awarded in Helsinki at the World Design Capital (WDC) International Design Gala in February 2012. It was awarded to the Community Cooker Project from Nairobi.
The second cycle of the World Design Impact Prize started on April 9, 2013 with a new identity and a call for public input. The International Design Impact Review Team consists of five international representatives, including three Wdo members and two experienced design professionals for social good.
The application period for WDO membership lasted from June 29 to July 29, 2013, and nominated projects were announced on September 10, 2013. Twenty-six projects from 15 countries applied and were featured on the World Design Impact Prize website .
A panel of experts shortlisted seven projects that were announced at the WDO General Assembly on November 18, 2013 in Montreal, Canada. The quality of the projects nominated in the second cycle prompted the Expert Committee to select 7 projects instead of 6 as originally intended. The final list included projects (in alphabetical order):
These projects were selected based on criteria of impact, innovation, context and ease of use, and because they contributed to an expanded view of the field of industrial design.
WDO Interdesign
The intensive two-week Interdesign workshop is a collaboration between international designers and local experts to discuss a design problem and find solutions for implementation.
World Industrial Design Day
This annual day is celebrated every June 29, the anniversary of WDO, for industrial designers, academics, design students and non-designers who are impacted daily by the power of industrial design. The day promotes awareness and celebration of industrial design by encouraging WDO members and non-members to hold events such as exhibitions, panels, workshops, open houses and other community events.
From 2009 to 2011, an annual student poster contest was held for WDO educational programs; this event culminated after WDO unveiled the official logo for World Industrial Design Day. Each year the theme is determined by the WDO Board of Directors and announced a few months before June 29 so that companies, associations, design schools and design agencies can plan their activities and outreach.
World Design Talks
WDO World Design Talks was organized in 2016 and consists of a series of workshops “aimed at addressing local issues of global importance, such as rapid urbanization, climate change and migration, from a design perspective.” The wisdom that comes from negotiating global design helps define who the WDOs are and define their relationship to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
