Organised by Rönesans Holding to encourage young people to develop functional ideas , meet human needs, and be respectful of nature, while contributing to better living conditions and shaping the future, the 10th “Design the Sustainable Future” Competition has concluded. Held in collaboration with Esmiyor and Impact Hub İstanbul, the competition rewarded innovative and sustainable solutions addressing climate change, with nine projects receiving awards across three different categories.
Fourteen finalist teams presented their projects to the jury on 19 December. Following the jury’s evaluation, the teams ranked in the Building Design, Product Design, and Service Design categories were determined. In each category, first-place projects received TRY 50,000, second-place projects TRY 40,000, and third-place projects TRY 30,000.
Nine projects awarded across three categories
In the Building Design category, the Ecological Core Project, which proposes a modular building system that can be transformed in times of crisis and strengthens solidarity, won first place. The Equinox Project, which aims to build social trust and awareness through renewable energy sources, came second, while the DeepFlow Project, a holistic living space proposal that brings together natural cycles and social interaction, placed third.In the Product Design category, BioPolTech, which aims to develop an environmentally friendly fertiliser by recycling agricultural waste, won first place. The Green Pole, a smart urban utility pole that produces oxygen using algae technology, took second place, while the Bak-pack Project, which offers biodegradable packaging as an alternative to single-use plastics, came in third.
In the Service Design category, Re-source, a blockchain-based marketplace that converts waste into raw materials, won first place. Health-Focused Climate Maps (HFCM), which monitor the impact of climate data on human health in real time, placed second, and the Greenport Project, which offers a transparent, digital environmental performance system for buildings, came third.
157 candidates, 67 applications, and an intensive development process
A total of 157 candidates registered on the system, resulting in 67 applications, including 41 in Service Design and 13 each in Product Design and Building Design. Following a preliminary evaluation, 14 selected projects were included in a comprehensive two-month capacity-building programme. As part of the programme, teams received training on sustainability, value proposition development, assumption validation, project planning, storytelling, and effective presentation techniques. Each project was supported by mentors and subject-matter experts.
Expert jury panel
The jury panel comprised experts from academia, the private sector, and civil society. In the Building Design category, the jury included Evrim Atalas, Sustainability & Environment Director at Rönesans Holding; Associate Professor Betül Bilge Özdamar from the Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design at Başkent University; Mehmet Baytan, Deputy General Manager of Rönesans Holding, and Salih Küçüktuna, Co-Founder of PIN Architects.
In the Product Design category, jury members included Dr Aydın Öztoprak, Head of the Industrial Design Department at TOBB ETÜ; Elif Atmaca, Co-Founder and Designer at Toyi; Barış Can Üstündağ, Co-Founder of Airqoon; and Associate Professor Engin Kapkın.
In the Service Design category, the jury comprised Dr Belgin Kaygan, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Galatasaray University; Ayşe Sabuncu, Co-Founder of Impact Hub İstanbul; Mine Ekinci, Founder and General Coordinator of KODA; and Serdar Paktin, Founder and Meaning Maker at Pakt Agency.
Over the past 10 years, “Design the Sustainable Future” has reached more than 400,000 students face-to-face through over 150 university seminars, and an average of 3 million students per year through digital channels.