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Report-SDGs Design International Awards 2020

November 10th, 2020

The theme of the 2nd SDGs Design International Awards held this year was “Overcoming the Pandemic, Design for Evolution”. We received a total of 184 applications from high schools and higher educational institutions from 15 countries.
There was a wide range of ideas, including ideas that can be implemented immediately to respond to this unprecedented crisis, ways of living and working for the post-corona era, and proposals for social systems and international cooperation.
The Final Presentation and Award Ceremony were held on November 10, 2020, through the online platform with tens of thousands of viewers, as befits an SDGs Awards for the new era.
The five finalists presented new ideas, and their work has great potential for immediate pandemic applications. After a rigorous judging process on the day, the results of the awards were as follows.

<Grand Prize>

The Vessel

Viany Sutisna, Bonaventura Kevin Satria, Faith Lim Rui En
(National University of Singapore)

Summary
In Indonesia, the bodies of the people killed by COVID-19 are immediately covered with simple plastic and buried underground below several meters of cement.
The team focused on the fact that among the things that the coronavirus has taken from us, we cannot say a final goodbye to our loved ones. They designed a “vessel” that allows the bereaved families to say goodbye face to face during the funeral ceremony. The “vessel” is in the form of an airtight pod with layers of robe-like material inside to wrap the body safely. The pods are fitted with transparent windows so that the bereaved can look at the face to say their final goodbyes during the funeral. The inner layers are made of an absorbent material that prevents leaks of body fluids, etc., making it possible to resume funeral practices without the risk of cluster infection.

Review
How people deal with death is both a universal and inherent cultural issue. In a global pandemic, death is a difficult issue that requires not only rationality and functionality but also an in-depth consideration of humanity rooted in culture. This design proposal addresses human dignity directly, while at the same time eliminating the risk of infection, and pursuing functionality as a product through a detailed consideration of materials and structures that are also environmentally friendly. It is an excellent proposal that approaches the issue of mental health, which is often an afterthought in emergencies, from a product design perspective.

<Awards of Excellence>

Best Innovation
Alate Mobile Kaleyard No.9 Neighborhood of Weifang Community’s Portable Vegetable Truck and Community Activity Vehicle
Huang Zhilin, Shen Sixian, Wang Qi
(Donghua University)

Best Impact
Anandi Learning Spaces
Shruti Umesh Chakke
(National Institute of Design)

Best Quality
Service Design to Protect Medical Workers(The PPE identification and donation service platform – “@”)
Fang Yuchan, Zheng Ce, Gu Tianrun, Shen Yiwen, Luo Song
(TongJi University)

Best Feasibility
Hi ! Gesture —Service Design of Epidemic Prevention Education for Lower Elementary School Students in accordance with Their Nature
Choi Yonggen, Zhang Yimeng, Fan Wenyi, Chen Yinglu, Li Yu
(TongJi University)

*Please refer to the official website for the summary and comments of Awards of Excellence by the jury chair.
https://www.sdgs.design.kyushu-u.ac.jp/awards/english/result/

In addition, as a parallel event to SDGs Design International Awards 2020, Kyushu University Asia Week 2020 International Symposium was held. The theme of the symposium was ” Design of the After-Corona Society from an SDGs Perspectives,” and it began with feedback from the judges of each award and a commendation of the finalists for their excellent presentations. The works proposed in this award focused on various problems arising from the pandemic, and proposed solutions that not only had feasible and innovative impacts but also were systematic and sympathetic to people’s feelings.

The panelers also discussed the following five perspectives.

1) Crisis can be a chance for evolution, to make a better future. From this perspective, what will happen to society after coronavirus?
2) What is design?
3) What is the role of the designer?
4) What is design thinking?
(5) What is the implication for academia?

In this symposium, the participating students were asked the question, “What can design do for society? This symposium gave the students an opportunity to think of this question as a serious, provocative, and challenging one.