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BE OPEN Announces Winners of the International Student Competition 'Designing Futures 2050'

BE OPEN Unveils Winners of the 'Designing Futures 2050' Contest

BE OPEN has announced the coveted winners of the Public Vote and Founder's Choice awards in its sixth annual competition, 'Designing Futures 2050.' This initiative targets students, graduates, and young professionals while aligning with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The contest inspired participants to creatively reinterpret the SDGs, bearing in mind contemporary realities and proposing actionable, scalable strategies. Participants were invited to submit their projects across three thematic categories: 1. Combatting Current Issues, 2. Creating Visions for the Future, and 3. Adapting the SDGs.

Elena Baturina, the founder of BE OPEN, expressed her enthusiasm regarding the competition's conclusion, stating, "For six consecutive years, BE OPEN has championed the UN SDGs through global design and innovation challenges tailored for students. Each year, we receive scores of extraordinary, insightful, and imaginative submissions from talented youths worldwide. This ongoing commitment reinforces our belief that educating and inspiring youth is the most effective way to engender impactful change. Our mission is to cultivate a generation prepared to tackle future challenges through creativity, knowledge exchange, and collaboration."

For the Founder's Choice award, which includes a cash prize of €3,000, Baturina selected Jeanne Begon-Lours and Lucy Dain-Williams, MSc students in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London. Their project, titled Tera Mira: Working with Nature to Drive Meaningful Change in Stretch Textiles, aims to develop a biodegradable, bio-based alternative to elastane, derived from the natural elastic properties of seaweed. This sustainable solution imitates elastane's elasticity while eliminating the reliance on fossil fuels, toxicity, and microplastic pollution.

The Public Vote winner, sharing a prize of €2,000, went to CALMs Computer Aided Learning Management Suite, created by Komborero Victor Kangai and Tinotenda Chrispen Makoni, who are students of Physics, Mathematics, and Computer Science at the High Achievers Coach International Academy in Zimbabwe. CALMS serves as an innovative e-learning platform designed to bridge the digital divide in Zimbabwe’s educational system. It leverages Television White Spaces (TVWS) technology to provide stable and low-cost connectivity, enabling offline learning while ensuring continuous educational access even in low-network areas.

In addition to monetary grants, all winners will receive relevant educational opportunities and an all-expenses-paid trip to a major sustainability-focused event, where they can present their projects to global decision-makers and the public. As the competition wraps up, BE OPEN continues to shine a light on innovative solutions for a sustainable future.