Healthy Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design conducts a Healthier Design Innovation Contest annually for design activists who create innovative designs while promoting equity. This is the sixth annual Role Models Contest organized to award design innovations made from materials that have no negative impact on the planet. The winner receives a $1000 cash prize and social media coverage. Winners are chosen based on innovation exemplification, use of health materials or strategies, and advocation through design. All types of projects, including theoretical, proposed, and real are eligible. Contestants can include prototypes, models, artwork, or visual media along with their application. The main requirements for this contest include documentation of the design process through pictures, drawings, or short videos and an annotated lifecycle diagram summarizing the carbon impact of the innovative design to understand how the design responds to the current global climate emergency.
Making environmental-friendly items, products, and much more has been a question that no one has a single or same answer to. Global warming, toxic wastes, pollutions, and all the harmful substances in the environment, whether it be natural or man-made, have been rising issues for human beings for a long time. Sometimes, to find innovative and creative solutions for these issues, organizations conduct innovative contests for designs, which the students can participate in and contribute something to the society/community while simultaneously gaining something in return. Competitions like these help find solutions for projects that have no negative impact on the planet Earth.
Healthy Materials Lab is a design research lab at Parsons School of Design committed to a world in which people’s health is at the centre of all design decisions. They are committed to raising awareness about toxins in building products and to creating resources for the next generation of designers and architects. They wholly and solely focus on making healthier places for all people to live. Healthy Materials Lab is an international, interdisciplinary, and professionally diverse collective of graduate students, alumni, and faculty with backgrounds in media, architecture, design, community development, education, and business.
Brief Description
Refer to the below table for more details of the scholarship:
| Organization | Parsons Healthy Materials Lab |
| Educational Level | Undergraduate and Graduate |
| Subjects | Design |
| Amount | $1000 |
| Access Mode | Online |
| Number of Awards | 1 |
| City | Multiple |
| Nationality | Domestic |
| Country | United States |
| Application Deadline | May 17, 2021 |
| Application Fees | N/A |
| Requirement | Completion of form and uploading all required documents |
Who May Be Eligible?
- Undergraduate and graduate students in a design program
How to Apply
Eligible applicants can access the official website and click on submit button to complete the Google form. They can upload the relevant documents and submit the contest entry.
Supporting Documents
- List of all the materials used in this project, including any coatings and/or adhesives, along with any evidence to support any claims for why the material strategy or innovation is healthier. (500 words max)
- An annotated diagram to reflect the lifecycle of your design and considering the impact on human and environmental health at every stage.
- Upload at least three high-resolution final images (under 1MB)
- Uploading a maximum of 7 supporting images, videos, drawings, and/or other means of demonstrating the process.
Benefits
The winner of the Annual Healthier Design Innovation Contest receives $1000 and social media coverage.
Application Deadline
Entries must be submitted by Monday, May 17, 2021. Late applications will not be accepted and might lead to disqualification.
