The PLAYERS

College/university students from all over the world will compete in transdisciplinary teams of five, representing different academic disciplines and different academic institutions.

Undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral level student are eligible to compete. 

PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

The Challenge

 How can we create a circular economy? 

Each team must leverage its transdisciplinary makeup to collaboratively design and propose a product, service, business/non-profit organization, or other solution to a wicked problem that can help us transition from a linear economic model to a circular economic model.

READ THE 2020 DESIGN BRIEF

The Prizes

Winning teams will split the following awards evenly between their five members:

First Place: $15,000 (USD)

Second Place: $10,000 (USD)

Third Place: $5,000 (USD)

PAST WINNERS

THE ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation was launched in 2010 to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. Since its creation the charity has emerged as a global thought leader, establishing the circular economy on the agenda of decision makers across business, government, and academia.

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

A circular economy is one that is restorative by design, and which aims to keep products, components, and materials at their highest utility and value at all times. A circular economy provides a tightly looped, restorative economic cycle where resources can be re-adapted for use without limiting the desirability of products or the flow of revenue. To learn more, check out the links below:

TO READ

• The Circular Economy –– an overview from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• Circular Economy Case Studies from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• Circular Economy Resource Map — an interactive multimedia resource collection from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• The Circular Design Guide from IDEO and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• The Building Blocks of a Circular Economy from The Ellen MacArthur Foundation

TO WATCH

• What Does the Circular Economy Look Like? from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• Four Ways to Introduce the Circular Economy from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• Re-thinking Progress from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• The Circular Economy: From Consumer to User from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• Circular Economy in Cities from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• Best of the the 2018 Disruptive Innovation Festival from DIF

WICKED PROBLEM SOLVING

A wicked problem doesn't imply a sense of 'evil,' but rather refers to a problem that is considerably resistant to resolution. Efforts to grapple with one aspect of a wicked problem often reveal or create other obstacles that must be considered and overcome, hence the importance of transdisciplinary collaboration. To learn more, check out the links below:

TO READ

• Excerpt from Wicked Problems Worth Solving by Jon Kolko

• "Wicked-Problem Solvers," from the Harvard Business Review

• “Wicked Problems and Social Complexity,” excerpt from Dialogue Mapping: Building Shared Understanding of Wicked Problems by Jeff Conklin

TO WATCH

• Start With Why – TED Talk by Simon Sinek

• Got a Wicked Problem? First, Tell Me How You Make Toast – TED Talk by Tom Wujec

• Is This the Future of Global Food Systems? from the Disruptive Innovation Festival

DESIGN THINKING/HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN

Design thinking is a human-centered approach for the development of ideas, business models, strategies, products, services, and brands. This technique pursues innovation through an alignment of consumer needs, sustainable manufacturing, and opportunity. To learn more, check out the links below:

TO READ

• Design Thinking Methods, from Stanford University's D School

• DesignKit, a multifaceted design thinking resource from IDEO

• Design for Action by Tim Brown and Roger L. Martin, from the Harvard Business Review

TO WATCH

• Design Thinking = Method, Not Magic from Stanford University’s D School

• How It Works: Design Thinking from IBM Think Academy

• What is Human-Centered Design? by IDEO

• Designers – Think Big! – TED Talk by Tim Brown

BIOMIMICRY

Biomimicry is the idea that complex human problems can be solved by imitating the systems, models, and design elements of the natural world. By looking to the natural world for inspiration, we can develop solutions that benefit both people and the plant. To learn more, check out the links below:

TO READ

• What is Biomimicry from the Biomimicry Institute

• What is Biomimicry? from Circulate News

• Biomimicry Examples from the Biomimicry Institute

• AskNature - interactive resource from the Biomimicry Institute

• Synapse: Spark Biomimicry Ideas from Biomimicry 3.8

• Biomimicry Case Studies from Dezeen

TO WATCH

• The World is Poorly Designed, But Copying Nature Helps from Vox and 99% Invisible

• AskNature Nuggets – short videos from the Biomimicry Institute

• Biomimicry in Action – TED Talk by Janine Benyus

• Using Nature’s Genius in Architecture – TED Talk by Michael Pawlyn

• Inner Biomimicry: Think Naturally, Create Naturally – TED Talk by Jamie Miller

BUSINESS MODEL DEVELOPMENT

Regardless of what your team is working on - a product, service, business/non-profit organization, or other solution - you'll need to develop a detailed business model that proves the viability and profitability of your idea, as well as its alignment with the circular economy. As you develop your business model, you'll need to be able to identify its strengths and weaknesses, as well as any risks you may face and how you plan to address them. For more information on how to develop a business plan, check out the links below: 

TO READ

• Business Models for the Circular Economy from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

• 8 Business Cases for the Circular Economy from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development

• Circular Indicators: Tools to Assess How Well A Product/Company Performs in the Circular Economy from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation

• The Circular Economy Business Model Toolkit from Forum for the Future

• Business Model Innovation for Circular Economy and Sustainability: A Review of Approaches from the Journal of Cleaner Production

TO WATCH

• The Business Model Canvas Explained, from Strategyzer

• What is a SWOT Analysis? from Bplans

• Building a Business: The Business Model Canvas and Customer Development by Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

• Transformation to Circular Business Models from SitraFund

• How to Scale Up Your Business, a presentation by Verne Harnish from Gazelles

• Why it’s Time for Doughnut Economics – TED Talk by Kate Raworth

• How Do Circular Economy Startups Get Funding? from the Disruptive Innovation Festival

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGIES

As your team develops a solution, you'll need to detail the resources/materials——technological, biological, and/or capital——incorporated into your solution, provide justification for their use, and illustrate their alignment with the circular economy. Check out the links below to learn about innovative ways you can incorporate materials and emerging technologies into your work: 

TO READ

• Materiom - open data on how to make materials that nourish local economies and ecologies

• MaterialDistrict — a free global online database of innovative materials

• The New Plastics Economy from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Economic Forum

• What is the Internet of Things? WIRED Explains from WIRED

• Additive Manufacturing: Industry Trends and Outlook from FormLabs

• “Why the Circular Economy is a Digital Revolution” from the World Economic Forum

• Smart Material Choices from the Circular Design Guide

TO WATCH

• The Story of Stuff – documentary on of current production/consumption patterns

• Smart Materials of the Future — TED Talk by  Anna Ploszajski

• Reconnecting Designers to Their Materials from the Disruptive Innovation Festival

• Cradle to Cradle Design – TED Talk by William McDonough

• Material Innovation Now – TED Talk by Andrew Dent

• Chemical Materials and Sustainable Design – TED Talk by Michael Werner

• A Good Disruption: Advances in AI, 3D Printing, and Biomaterials from the Disruptive Innovation Festival

• The Biggest Revolution in 3D Printing is Yet to Come from the Disruptive Innovation Festival