Design Indaba launches the Your Street Challenge in Gauteng

 

We know that creativity can enhance the world around us but now Design Indaba is asking Gauteng designers and residents to walk the talk by enhancing what is right in front of you: your street. There’s a total of R250 000 up for grabs for designers with the best idea on how to improve their street, and a plan to implement the idea. 

 

Design Indaba announced the launch of the Your Street Challenge, in association with the Gauteng Tourism Authority (GTA), on Tuesday 6 September, 2011. The launch took place during a live broadcast of the SABC 2 programme Morning Live, at the Cradle of Humankind outside Johannesburg.

 

“The Your Street Challenge is a unique platform for encouraging the use of design and creativity to further enhance the urban experience,” says Design Indaba founder Ravi Naidoo. “It’s great to be partnering with the Gauteng Tourism Authority and we’re looking forward to inspired ideas.” 

 

The GTA is equally excited to be partnering with Design Indaba on the Your Street Gauteng Challenge, says CEO Dawn Robertson. “We see this as an ideal opportunity for Gauteng designers to use their creativity to aid social upliftment in the province.”

 

The challenge is about showing how design can be used to transform and improve lives.

The following cash prizes are up for grabs:

 

•       First prize of R100 000 will be awarded to the designer with the best idea AND a sound business model that illustrates how the idea can be implemented feasibly.

•       Three second-place winners will each receive R50 000 for an innovative design solution that can be implemented immediately with the prize money.

 

The prizes for the Your Street Challenge must be used to implement the creative intervention on a Gauteng street. 

 

The Your Street Gauteng Challenge is not only about being Proudly South African and proud to be living in Gauteng, but about owning your street, loving your street and improving your street and the lives of the people living and working on that street. 

Proposals will be judged on the following six criteria of design for social change:

1.     Generosity: How many people will your design solution affect positively?

2.     International excellence and innovation: Does your design solution stand up to and trump similar world-class ideas? Is it new, original and forward-thinking?

3.     Feasibility: How do you propose to allocate the R50 000?

4.     Fun: How much pleasure and beauty will your design inspire?

5.     Do: Can and will the design solution be executed?

6.     A better world through creativity: How does your design solution make the world better and further inspire other people to make the world better?

 

For more information and to enter the Your Street Challenge visit www.designindaba.com/yourstreet. Be sure to enter before 15 October 2011.

 

Design Indaba will appoint an independent judging panel for the Your Street Challenge to ensure the integrity of the process.