Have you ever won a design competition? If yes, congratulations. Maybe you want to try again! If not, there is always a first time, and here is your chance! The Movin’On Challenge Design is open for entries for their annual competition and looking for innovative new ideas to “help create a world with more sustainable and inclusive mobility.” Under the central theme “Delivered,” the challenge previously known as the Michelin Challenge asks its competitors to “design ways to take goods and services to all people,” considering the factors age and disability.
What the challenge is about
The Movin’On Challenge Design was created in 2001 as an international competition to inspire people all over the world to think about design in the future of mobility. In the previous 21 challenges, the jurors received a total of 14,700 entries from 136 countries. “Design can solve complex problems. With creativity in design, we can achieve a better understanding of human needs and shape the future of sustainable mobility in its many forms,” said Mike Marchand, Michelin North America director of sustainable development and mobility. Organized by Michelin North America, Movin’On encourages their participants to think about more than just moving goods around; they want you to deliver services to all people in a safe, efficient and sustainable way.
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Why mobility matters
According to Movin’On, almost one-third of people around the world live outside of urban centers, and the same number in areas with sub-standard infrastructure. Moreover, 3.4 billion people, which is half of the world’s population, still don’t have their basic needs met. A quarter of all people around the globe live on less than $3.20 per day. “Delivered” motivates you to create innovative and new ways to bring people what they need, no matter where they are.
How it works.
“Delivered” asks you to design a future mobility solution that benefits those communities that usually don’t have access to these services. In this context, competitors are encouraged to consider the impact of age and disability on mobility and how a lack of mobility can lead to more isolation. In order to build a successful design, participants need to do extensive research on the people and communities their idea is supposed to serve. Think about who benefits from your idea and why. It’s not about convenience for people who already have access but about inclusivity to those who don’t. And lastly, you need to show that your innovation actually… delivers.
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Previous competitions.
Past themes were, for example, Brave & Bold (America’s next iconic vehicle) in 2009, City 2046 (Art, Life & Ingenuity) in 2012, or, most recently in 2021: Respect (Ending Isolation and Conquering the Mobility Divide), where entrants had to design “a future with truly inclusive access to mobility, a future that breaks down barriers and increases the personal well-being and respect for all people,” said Nick Mailhiot, chairman of the 2021 Movin’On Challenge Design competition. “Age and disability can limit access to safe and affordable mobility for one of every four people in the world today, reducing joy and the ability to fully participate in, benefit from, and contribute to society both socially and economically,” Mailhiot adds. Other jury members included Angela Hariche, CEO of Catapult Design, Frank Saucedo, design director General Motors, and many more experts in the field.
The Winners 2021.
In 2021, 170 entries competed for the first place, but only one could win: Drew Spahn, a design student from New Jersey, beat the other 169 of his competitors with “Crosswing,” an innovation allowing people with amputations to skate around cities for transport or leisure. “The Crosswing provides the same assistance walking as a prosthetic leg but offers a riding experience that compares to a skateboard or pair of skates,” Spahn said about his design.
Second place went to Stefan Perriard, a Danish design student, for his creation “Tramo.” Perriard designed a mobility service for a car-free future city with a focus on people and not cars. “Tramo explores how to offer ‘less-intrusive’ mobility when lowering cars and reimaging the streets as habitable, walkable, and bike-friendly areas. Tramo connects the inner car-free city by traveling autonomously at walking speed via the main pedestrianized roads and bridges the gap between public transportation junctions. Tramo welcomes you to ‘hop-on/off’ as you like. A flexible solution with no need for stations, like a moving sidewalk,” Perriard shared with the Movin’On Challenge.
Finally, Colombian architect and designer Elkin Alejandro Cruz Castro reimagined urban inclusivity through a system that brings flexibility and culture to mobility with his design “Nomada!” that made 3rd place. “This design is oriented towards urban communities that constitute cities as the Latin-American ones, regarding neighbourhood scale and peripheries. A wide diversity of people live there: women, men, LGBTI, young and elderly people; all of them with particular physical, emotional and intellectual characteristics. Arnulfo, María, Andrés, Francesca and Brigitte are some examples,” Cruz Castro said. According to Cruz Castro, urban peripheries often lack certain activities, for example, education and culture, which his design tries to bring to the people. “The proposal is based on a multidisciplinary and critical perspective, involving urban design, architecture and industrial design. The problem of mobility is approached as a phenomenon from the urban model resolved from object systems that transform and make our environment more flexible according to the needs of the communities, their complexities and their level of appropriation and integration into the environment,” he explained.
Think you can do it?
The challenge is open for entries until March 1, 2022. Shortly after, in April, the winners will be notified before they will be formally announced at the future Movin’On event in June. Everyone is welcome, whether you are a single person or part of a team, and no matter where you live.
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Find out more and submit your design to create a more accessible world here.
Good luck!