Dutch social venture Shift has launched a €250,000 competition calling for designs for “a new wonder of the world” to promote action against climate change. The competition aims to create a landmark that inspires and educates people to join the fight against the climate and biodiversity crisis.
“The goal is to create a landmark that breaks from traditional notions and functions, and exists as a beacon of hope for human ingenuity and collective action,” said Don Ritzen, Founder, Shift.
While 75 per cent of Europeans are concerned about climate change, only 10 per cent are taking meaningful action, according to the European Commission and Dutch research institute PBL. Ritzen believes that a new wonder of the world could grab people’s attention and inspire them to action.
The competition is open to architects, designers, and innovators worldwide. The €250,000 prize fund will be shared among five shortlisted entrants, with each receiving €40,000, and an additional €50,000 awarded to the winner.
A group of Dutch investors is funding the competition, and the judging panel includes Aric Chen, Director of Nieuwe Instituut, Ben van Berkel, Founder of UNStudio, and Lewis Akenji, Director of Hot or Cool Institute.
The deadline for competition entries is 5 March, with the shortlist set to be announced in April. Shift intends to realise the design somewhere in the Netherlands, but there is no fixed location at this stage.
The design could take the form of a building or another type of installation. It could be a new build or a reimagination of an existing structure. Once built, it would host a programme curated by Shift with the aim of engaging up to one million visitors a year.
Ritzen thinks that human behaviour is the main obstacle to reversing climate change. He believes the required solutions have already been developed; they just need to be adopted at scale. “We have choices that can be adopted and massively scaled up,” he said.
“With Shift, I have created a platform dedicated to giving these solutions, and the people behind them, the same amount of positivity, energy and attention often given to the typical tech startup,” Ritzen added. “By consolidating the most promising climate initiatives, activists and entrepreneurs onto a single platform and space, we can shift the conversation from complacency and powerlessness to create the sense of urgency needed for massive climate and sustainable action.”
Image Courtesy: Live Science
