SDGs Design
International Awards 2023
This year marks the 5th anniversary of the SDGs awards, with the theme "Sustainable Future Design for Children!" This theme was chosen to support and reform the lives of children worldwide, who represent the future, and those who care for them, ensuring they grow up in peace and prosperity. Ideas from 17 countries and regions were submitted, totaling 202 entries.
Theme
Let’s Create Sustainable Future Design for Children!
The children are the future.
Designing for children is connected to our future.
Let’s Create Sustainable Future Design for Children
To ensure the peaceful and healthy growth of children, who represent the future, it is imperative to garner support and drive reforms from multiple perspectives. How can we collectively contribute to the well-being of children worldwide and the communities surrounding them? We are eager to receive a broad spectrum of ideas centered around the following keywords:
Children and Medical Care
Medical care, insurance, and social service systems
Children and Education
Educational system, environment, tools, playgrounds, equipment, toys, etc.
Children and Diverse Families
Support for single-parent households, diverse families, etc.
Children and Culture
Support for foreign children, promoting cultural exchange, etc.
Children and Natural Disasters
Support during natural disasters, prevention methods, etc.
Bully-free and Violence-free Society:
Initiatives to create a society free of bullying, family violence, and other social problems
Let’s Create Sustainable Design Future for Children with Companies!
Solving social issues cannot be achieved by one person alone; cooperation with companies and the local community is also necessary. What can companies do to support raising children? We are looking for ideas for events, tools, apps, systems, facility designs that address this issue.
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KM Biologics Award
Ideas to raise awareness of the importance of vaccination for the wellbeing of people around the world.
How can people around the world deepen their understanding of the importance (significance and role) of vaccines?
We welcome ideas that make people want to learn about VPD (vaccine-preventable diseases), or those that facilitate the dissemination of accurate information about vaccines to parents and children. These ideas can take any form, such as educational tools like picture books or apps that emphasize the importance of vaccination, or mechanisms that encourage individuals to take proactive steps towards vaccination. -
YUKO LUCKY Group Award
For those married and unmarried
Whether you have children or not
Ideas for joyfully raising children who are full of smiles.
Children, who will be responsible for the future, are not raised by families alone.
Families, residents, and the companies where the family members work are also involved.
How can we work together to ensure that everyone helps each other and enjoys raising children?For example...
- ・Ideas for company systems that allocates work during maternity leave and child-rearing periods without placing a burden on those who do not have children, such as those who want to have children but do not, or those who do not want to have children of their own
- ・Ideas for comprehensive systems where companies and workplaces provide support for child rearing from pre-birth up until the child grows up
- ・Ideas for companies and workplaces to use childcare-related items in an economically and eco-friendly manner (sharing, reuse, etc.)
- ・Ideas for events and tools to simulate the experience of child-rearing
- ・Ideas for local communities and companies to provide child-rearing support
We are looking for a wide range of novel ideas and systems that companies can use to help nurture the children of the future, such as those mentioned above.
Awards
“Let’s Create Sustainable Future Design for Children”
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Gold Award
300,000 yen
+Certificate
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Silver Award
100,000 yen
+Certificate
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Bronze Award
50,000 yen
+Certificate
This award is co-organized with Dongseo University Korea, so the prize money will be transferred in the equivalent amount in Korean Won.
Let’s Create Sustainable Design Future for Children with Companies!
Corporate Awards
50,000 yen each +Certificate
The companies supporting and actively participating in the SDGs Design International Awards will nominate winners from the entries.
Special Award(s) for High School Students
Certificate (Including Special Online Campus Tour by Kyushu University)
Special award(s) for high school students will be given to the best design proposal(s) submitted.
Judges
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［ Jury Chair ］
Juyoung Chang
Director, Professor,
Asia Design Center for Future,
Dongseo University,
Korea -
［ Judging Panel ］
Melanie Sarantou
Professor,
Kyushu University Faculty of Design -
［ Judging Panel ］
Masakazu Tani
Professor Emeritus,
Kyushu University Faculty of Design -
［ Judging Panel ］
Soogil Oh
Professor,
The Cyber University of Korea
Department of Information
Management & Security,
Korea -
［ Judging Panel ］
Jangsub Lee
Associate Professor,
Seoul National University,
Korea
Gold Award
BLOCK&MEMORY: Orientation walking ability training AIDS designed for visually impaired children
HONGXU LUO, HAN JIAYI, and CHU XINRUI
Dalian University of Technology, China
Currently, the education of visually impaired children is more family based and subjective; families that care for blind children lack the scientific information that could improve the child’s overall performance. “BLOCK and MEMORY” is learning aid to help blind or visually impaired children understand spatial sense and orientation, allowing them to become more adept at navigation as they grow older.
The “block and memory” learning aid consists of a buildable tactile map and a parent phone application. The tactile map considers visually impaired children’s attention towards qualitative information, such as turning points rather than specific distances. The map comprises of a variety of blocks that also have differing tactile surfaces that provide the children information. Ordinary cubes can represent the starting location, reference cubes can represent real-life objects such as a tree, special cubes can be used to indicate the presence of stairs or change in level of the path. The blocks can be put together and paired with a clicker that children can use to decide which direction they will go. Parents can monitor their child’s performance on the tactile map using the phone application.
Parents can also use the application to set up training routes. They can use the app to record sound signals they encountered on a route, then use this information to create a prototype route for a tactile map, and finally the children can use the tactile map to train. “Block and memory” provides the sensory tools needed for visually impaired children to navigate their environment building both parents’ and children’s confidence. This type of learning aid can also enhance the way visually impaired children learn and create a new approach on how to teach children with special needs.
Silver Award
Pieces of Peace
Hao Cao, and Masao Oi
Tokyo University, Japan
Some regions in the world have never experienced true peace, while some areas have been more fortunate. The children in the latter areas may lack a connection with the idea of “peace” and “war” and may devalue the current political and social climate of their nation. “Pieces of Peace” is an educational tool for children who have lived in an era without war to help them appreciate importance of peace. Instead of merely absorbing information about war, “Pieces of Peace” promotes hands-on learning and self-reflection that can help teachers observe the personal growth of their students.
The team for this design used photos during times of war from different time periods and various regions, such as a refugee family waiting to be transported or a child walking among debris—graphic photos were not included. Elements from these photos were extracted and used as a blueprint for children to freely reconstruct their own images. Children could turn pieces of a photo of a child working during war into a child playing, or studying, or eating. The children and viewers of the works would be able to realize the preciousness of every-day life, in contrast of war photos. It will also enable others to see various perspectives from the innocent eyes of children, showcasing the adaptability of this design.
The impact of 'Pieces of Peace' extends beyond the present, cultivating the idea of peace among children that may shape the trajectory of their future, potentially leading the world to a brighter path. By linking design methods with a social issue, this work gives insight on how we can solve other global problems with the power of design.
- Commented by
- Masakazu Tani, Judging Panel
This work is a proposal for an educational tool to help children today think about war as it relates to their own lives. In Japan and many other countries, war is becoming a distant thing of the past. Chances for individuals to feel the effects of war on a personal level are diminishing, despite the fact that violent wars continue in countries such as Ukraine and Palestine. Therefore, it is becoming increasingly important for all people to contemplate about the outcome of war. Children need to receive consistent peace education, especially in a time where the number of people who have firsthand experience with war is declining. This proposal was highly evaluated for its attempt to tackle such contemporary social issues head-on and was awarded the Silver Prize.
- Commented by
- Soogil Oh, Judging Panel
The concept of sustainable development emerged from the search for solutions to environmental problems. Gro Harlem Brundtland, Chair of the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development in 1983, clearly recognized that it is difficult to solve environmental problems unless problems such as poverty, hunger, food, and human rights are solved. She emphasized that the reason why poverty, hunger, and human rights are difficult to solve is because of war and weapons. This work, which aims to remind us of the value of peacetime through war-related photo fragments, not only shows an excellent understanding of the concept of sustainable development but also makes us realize how precious and urgent sustainable development is as a universal human value by examining various aspects of war. As the designers state, "everyday life equals peace." Often, generations that have lived through war emphasize the scars of war while failing to move on from them or explain them adequately, thus seemingly imposing war on future generations. The designers' work for the next generation of peace education tools will help foster serious efforts to preserve peace while raising future generations to consider solutions to complex and intractable social problems seriously.
Bronze Award
Cosmic Education - for the past, present and future.
Shruti Umesh Chakke
IED - Istituto Europeo di Design, Turin, Italy
“Cosmic Education” proposes a revolutionary approach towards traditional education. Through using a versatile and inclusive way to educate, Cosmic Education challenges the one-size-fits-all education method than can damper the needs and growth for some children. It aims to engage students’ minds on the idea that life goes well beyond the boundaries of traditional academic subjects. While paired with the Cosmic Toolkit—a comprehensive guide that outlines the methods of this educational approach—students, parents, and educators will all learn to collaborate to take an active role in children’s education. Under Cosmic Education, learning is no longer restricted to a classroom environment, children are not divided by age, and educational growth is no longer a personal journey.
Cosmic Education emphasizes the main points of SDGs 4; personal development, environmental awareness and cultural appreciation. Currently, education is very rigid, and does not adapt to the needs of every child—there is a focus on memorization over creativity. Cosmic Education entails a new format of learning, promotes individual consciousness, has a transdisciplinary approach, boosts community engagement, and encourages active participation of parents and educators. Cosmic Education bridges the past, present, and future; taking into account what children need to be prepared for in this rapidly changing world.
This new method of learning has been implemented in Ladakh, India and shows promise for adaptability in other educational settings around the world. This means the Cosmic approach can be integrated into different cultural and regional areas, developing students not only mentally, but also culturally as well. With Cosmic Education implemented internationally, one can expect a new generation of learners who can make a better impact for the future.
- Commented by
- Masakazu Tani, Judging Panel
Cosmic Education challenges traditional educational models with the innovative goal of providing learners with a deeper understanding and worldview. In this proposal, educational innovations centered on the Cosmic toolkit are combined with nature-based lessons and workshops that address practical environments and hands-on learning as new teaching practices, creating a comprehensive program. It is an inclusive program designed to foster respect for the environment, insight, creativity, and critical thinking. The quality of the finished explanatory video was also highly praised by the selection committee and thus received the Bronze Award.
- Commented by
- Jangsub Lee, Judging Panel
Thank you for the opportunity to judge this great award. Cosmic Education was the most impressive among the many excellent entries. We all know that we need to change the way we educate, but it's hard to provide practical alternatives. Cosmic Education finds new solutions in our connection to nature and the community spirit between people. This can be seen as a return to primal human values that we have forgotten, but at the same time, it is the most futuristic and educational value that we are missing. While many alternative educations tend to shy away from technology or cling to traditional values, we found that Cosmic Education is open to incorporating new technologies. I think the flexibility of this idea is an important point in achieving sustainability. I would like to congratulate Cosmic education for receiving such a great award, and I hope that this will encourage them to be more courageous and share their project with the world.
KM Biologics Award
The Brave Adventure of 'Vaccine'
Shuma Kihara, and Wang jia
Kyushu University, Japan
“The Brave Adventure of ‘Vaccine’” takes the reader on an educational journey to address KM Biologic’s desire to show the importance of vaccination. This proposal is for the creation of a manga, where the protagonist ‘Vaccine’ fights against the main villain ‘Dr. Virus.’ The main character is joined by other side characters such as ‘Flu Fighter,’ ‘Diphtheria Defender,’ and “Pneumonia Protector,’ that also fight the henchmen of ‘Dr. Virus’ to keep the world a healthy place. The characters in the story represent actual vaccinations that can help protect us against diseases and viruses that exist today. Both the heroes and the villains have various abilities that can help teach readers the effect vaccines have on our body.
Despite the clear benefits of getting vaccinated, many individuals choose not to do so. There are also vaccines recommended for children and infants, but it is difficult for those at a young age to grasp the importance of getting vaccinated. Also, children are unable to choose to get vaccinated; it falls on parents to make this important decision. More must be done to help people get the right information to realize why immunization is necessary, without losing their interest in medical terminology. “The Brave Adventure of ‘Vaccine’” provides a fun, informative, but easy-to understand means of providing this knowledge for humans of all ages.
The group proposes that this manga be distrusted in schools, hospitals, and other public facilities to create unified information about vaccinations. The colorful artwork can help dispel fears and negativity towards vaccines while capturing the reader’s attention on the story. Once individuals understand how vaccines work, they would be more likely to get immunized. Especially in a time of virus outbreaks, “The Brave Adventure of ‘Vaccine’” can make the world a safer and healthier place.
- Commented by
- Yoichi Fujita, Manager, Public Relations Section, Corporate Planning Department
The winning entry for this year's award was a wonderful idea, with its interesting point of view of using infectious diseases and vaccines as characters. With this manga, both adults and children can learn in a fun and easy-to-understand way. We also felt that distributing the comics to local government offices and schools was highly feasible and an effective way of spreading information, and this was a key point in our evaluation. We also felt that the manga had a high affinity with the classes on infectious disease prevention that our company conducts at elementary schools and other education workshops. This work would help many people learn about diseases that can be prevented with vaccines.
Yuko Lucky Group Award
Let`s Protect the Shining Stars
Jessica Andrade dos Santos, and Jose Aceituno
Kyushu University, Japan
"‘Let’s Protect the Shining Stars’ addresses the Yuko Lucky Company’s need for ideas that support both employees with and without children. This proposal introduces the Yuko Star App, which focuses on three key points: providing direct benefits to children, easing the burdens of parents, and involving individuals without children in supporting children. The Yuko Star App incorporates two main features: educational activities and the redirection of employees’ daily tasks.
The educational activity feature encourages non-parents in the company to organize events such as museum visits, movie outings, and sports activities. This provides an opportunity for non-parents to actively support children, enables children to learn and have fun, and alleviates the burden on parents to plan activities. These events are displayed on the app, allowing parents to schedule their day and spend quality time with their kids, while also contributing to Yuko Lucky's image as an educational pillar in the community.
The task redirection feature allows parents to post tasks on the app, such as grocery shopping, tutoring, or cooking, for which they need assistance. Non-parents can then select tasks they'd like to help with, earning points for each completed task that can be redeemed for coupons or discounts.
In a time when many parents face family and work burnout, ‘Let’s Protect the Shining Stars’ provides a means to achieve a work-life balance. The Yuko Lucky App not only enables employees to support their coworkers but also indirectly contributes to supporting children, creating a brighter future for these precious stars."
- Commented by
- YUKO GROUP Shihoko Inoue, Sales Strategy Section, General Affairs Division
Congratulations to Jéssica and José for winning this award! The involvement of the companies where families work is also important for the growth of children, who will be responsible for the future. With this in mind, we chose the theme of the corporate award as “How can everyone in the workplace can be involved in the care of children with a smile on their faces.”
This year's award-winning entry received the highest praise for its focus on “participation in child care by staff who do not have children.” This work can be said to be highly empathetic, as it approaches it from three perspectives: direct benefits for children, reduced burden on parents, and benefits for people without children.
We look forward to seeing this idea explored in greater depth in the future, as it can be an idea that can help many companies.
Special Awards
for High School Students
(3 Proposals)
Bottle Evo: Unleashing Creativity One Bottle at a Time
Raexle Althea Fernando, Joaquin Izak Salvador, Charles Benedict Alcantara,
Chezka Patricia Dolores, Gift Eirell Banut, Leanne Jazmine Guillermo
Mariano Marcos State University Laboratory High School, Philippines
“Bottle Evo” is an application designed to address plastic pollution problems in the Philippines, especially in major river systems. Users can take a photo of the plastic bottle they would like to upcycle on the Botte Evo app and then receive suggestions on a variety of projects they can create with the bottle, complete with tutorials. An Ar Experience Enhancer can help the user visualize what the end product would look like in a location of their choice. Users can upload pictures of their completed project on the app’s forum and receive points, and points can then be exchanged for e-vouchers. There is also a “recommended” and “like” feature that can notify users of creations that they may be interested in.
For children and users of all ages, “Bottle Evo” can encourage creativity while also playing a role in ensuring a future of safe and clean water, aligning with SDGs Goal 6. This proposal can increase awareness of the importance of waste segregation and the environmental impact of plastic bottle waste, especially among children. If the younger generation can realize the importance of recycling in the Philippines, more sustainable infrastructures can be made to create a cleaner future. The community forum in the app can also foster collaboration and learning among the users.
Comment
This proposal centers around utilizing plastic bottles that would be otherwise discarded as trash. We commend the idea of using upcycling as a driver to motivate and incentivize DIY projects. We also consider it important that the program includes a proposal for a system that creates the behavior of "sharing" a wide variety of DIY ideas among participants. It is hoped that this project will come to fruition, leading to a future where PET bottle reuse is practiced amongst everyone.
G for Greenery and Geological Disasters
Jamilla Casie Mei Orbeta, Zakia Mei Coloma, Keshia Colleen Gaño, Odessa Padron, Carleone Bruce Salvador, Rayner Johann Ramiro
Mariano Marcos State University Laboratory High School, Philippines
The “G” project is a device with two components, the G-drone, and the G-friend application, proposed to address persistent flood disasters in the Philippines. The G-drone has a 5000 m operating distance that will be used by government or local officials to detect trash buildup that can cause flooding. Photos of the garbage will be collected in an area and analyzed for potential dangers and uploaded on G-friend. Community workers and volunteers can act upon these notifications and visit the garbage sites to perform waste removal. Points can be earned on G-friend when users choose to be volunteers; points can then be exchanged for e-money or vouchers. G-friend has an advisory page that can warn users about the weather or disaster-related advisories. The plant-a-tree feature also teaches users about the importance of greenery and provides another opportunity to earn points when users plant a tree.
“G” aligns with SDGs Goal 11, in making communities safe and sustainable while limiting disaster risks through prevention methods. This design fosters community engagement which would be beneficial for children, who can develop an appreciation of their neighborhood at a young age. This can also create a deeper understanding of the importance of maintaining a clean environment, not only for aesthetic reasons but sanitary and safety purposes.
Comment
This work is a design proposal for natural disasters, not only addressing problems during a disaster, but also for before and after. Moreover, the integration of the G-DRONE and G-FRIEND apps shows consideration from policy to individual use, evaluating excellent mechanisms for environmental and community development. For high school students, this work demonstrates exceptionally high quality and holds significant social value. We hope for these students will continue to propose such great SDGs ideas in the future.
Kulto’ra
Adrian Jed Cacao, Ynnah Therese Salenda, Rvee Anne Vanessa Cid
Mariano Marcos State University Laboratory High School, Philippines
In a nation where children are slowly forgetting their heritage, “Kulto’ra” is design for a game application that educates about Philippine history in a fun and innovative way. With an open-world game setting, users can play as characters based on important historical roles, such as the Babylayan (healer) or Lam-ang (warrior) and explore the region. When players encounter ruins or landmarks, they learn fun facts and trivia that may reveal pivotal events that shaped the nation. They can also collect artifacts in the game and display it in their own museum for other players to view. Mini games are also present that can test the user’s knowledge. Players can also interact freely with each other, exchange artifacts, and as a result, pass on the knowledge they acquired.
“Kulto’ra” provides accessibility for children to learn about their nation, addressing SDGs Goal 4. This game can not only be enjoyed by natives, but it can provide cultural heritage learning to those who are curious, as this type of gameplay can also be adapted to different cultural regions. Thus, “Kulto’ra” can encourage empathy and respect for different cultures worldwide, also addressing SDGs Goal 10. If children are able to appreciate their cultural roots, they would be more likely to sustain and preserve it.
Comment
This is a work of an educational application for children that focuses on culture and traditions. It has an evaluation point system that allows children to play and learn about history and culture in the form of fun games. Additionally, the storyline of this work is designed to be engaging and highly expressive. Finally, it is a way to not only understand one's own culture, but also to embrace it with pride. Such wonderful proposals should not remain as mere ideas but be realized.
The project initiated with thorough research to understand the visual perception traits of visually impaired children, forming the basis for crafting spatial perception training tools. Utilizing these insights, the team developed physical tools to enhance spatial perception training and designed a smartphone app enabling guardians/parents to monitor and actively engage in the training alongside the children.
The design process was methodical and systematic, resulting in an innovative solution that is also practical. The comprehensive explanation of the entire process was detailed and effectively communicated, and the video presentation was exceptionally well-produced, making it easily understand. Furthermore, the work conveyed a sense of passion for those young children and provided an opportunity for the general public to empathize with the those children and their families.
Above all, I believe that this is an outstanding design that enables those children and their families to initiate proper training from a young age, reducing daily life discomfort and supporting their growth.
It is an exemplary work that aligns seamlessly with the competition's mission in all aspects, including systematic research, innovative ideation, effective problem-solving, high design quality, social inclusivity, and societal impact. The judges unanimously agreed that it was worthy of the gold prize.