Open call for applications to the second edition of crQlr Awards, the global award for circular economy ideas and projects

After a highly successful first edition, FabCafe Global and Loftwork Inc. are excited to announce the crQlr Awards (“Circular” Awards) 2022, a competition for projects and ideas that design the circular economy. Due to popular demand, the application deadline has been extended to October 21 (Friday).

Launched in 2021 as Japan’s first award in the field of circular design*, the crQlr Awards are open to both large and small-scale projects as well as ideas in their early planning stages. The goal of the crQlr Awards is to nurture a community where the players of sustainability can connect across industries and countries, share knowledge and technologies, and create new value.

This year’s competition, the second of its kind, will again be held under the following three criteria:  “Circular, not linear,” “Action, not prestige” and “Gain from global perspectives.” The jury panel will be composed of five sustainability pioneers from international institutions and companies as well as  five community leaders of FabCafe, each who are involved in sustainability activities in their respective regions.

The 2022 edition will introduce a new Special Prize which aims to discover activities and projects all around the globe that solve local challenges through bottom-up actions. Furthermore, during the Awards period, FabCafe Global and Loftwork Inc. will organize a series of crQlr Meetups aimed at organically connecting circular economy projects. 

Do you have an idea or project that provides solutions to the challenges of activating the circular economy? We look forward to your application! 

*Circular design refers to the design of products and services that aim for a circular economy. Design includes the design of mechanisms.

The jury includes Noriko Ishizaka, President of Ishizaka Sangyo, which has achieved a 98% reduction and recycling rate in the industrial waste treatment business under the new vision “Zero Waste Design,” Mitchell van Doojiweerd, Sustainability Manager of the globally renowned DGTL Festival, and Amorpol Huvanandana, co-founder of moreloop, a one-stop market for giving new life to upcycled fabrics to SMEs. In addition, five members from FabCafe Global, which has offices around the world, will join the event.

The Special Prize will honor bottom-up actions aimed at solving local community issues, regardless of category or community size and will be awarded to three projects.

Most design awards are linear. Entries are solicited and evaluated, winners are decided, and prizes are awarded at a final gathering. The crQlr Awards are different. More than a simple awards ceremony, they include networking events open to all entrants, where ideas are developed and catalyzed through exchange.

The crQlr Awards exist to put ideas into action. From large-scale projects to ideas in the planning stages. From ideas that have lost traction to ideas still being nurtured in secret. The point is not to reward achievement, but to support the realization of ideas through feedback, mentoring and public support from our international panel of judges.

In collaboration with FabCafe Global, in place of a single awards ceremony, a crQlr Summit will be held in various locations of FabCafe Global around the world. Judges, chairpersons from each country, and several prize-winning teams will be the guests. The aim of the crQlr Summit is to provide a forum and place of learning including open feedback, questions, and discussion. The crQlr Summit will be an online/offline hybrid event.

Name of the awards: crQlr Awards 2022

Call for Entries: Any genre of project is welcome, as long as it relates back to circular design. Circular ideas, projects, products, prototypes, and works in progress that contribute to society, the environment, and/or the economy are also welcome.

Submission period: Thursday, September 1, 2022 – Friday, October 14, 2022, 12:00 noon (Japan time)

Eligibility: Anyone can apply regardless of nationality, age, or gender. Entry is open to the public and can include individuals, groups, municipalities, startups and/or established companies. Working professionals as well as students are welcome to apply.

Cost of entry: Free

How to enter: Entries for the awards should be submitted online using AWRD (“Award”) at http://awrd.com, a creators’ platform run by Loftwork Inc. Entrants will need to create their own AWRD user account (free of charge) to submit their entry.

Selection Criteria:

• Does the work provide solutions to the challenges faced by society and business for activating a circular economy?
• Does it have an overall positive and measurable impact on the environment?
• Is the work creative? Does it show an insightful understanding of circular economy or novel collaborative relationships?

Perspectives for project ideas: Materials, New Designs & Applications, Impact, Pledges & Challenges

Prize: Five projects will be selected by each of the 10 Judges. We anticipate that 40 to 50 projects will receive their own personal Prize and a personal comment from one of the judges.

Special Prize Outline: Initiatives and projects created to solve community issues, regardless of category or community size, are invited to apply. A total of three Prizes will be awarded.

Judging Criteria: Projects and ideas that meet one of the following criteria will be considered eligible for the crQlr Awards 2022 Special Prize.

• Leverage Local Resources: How does your project or idea make use of local resources, such as materials and knowledge, to tackle its challenge?
• Started and Sustained by the Community: How does your project or idea sustain its activities through the involvement of the local community?
• Regenerate Natural Resources: How does your project or idea eliminate waste or pollution while regenerating natural resources?

• For each winning entry, the judges will give an evaluation on the points they found insightful about the work. These comments will be posted on Loftwork and FabCafe materials. (These comments will be considered as Creative Commons).
• Winning projects will be presented with “crQlr Certification” kits aimed at supporting and publicizing circular economy initiatives.
• Winning entries will be promoted in communication platforms such as FabCafe, Loftwork, IDEAS FOR GOOD, and Circular Economy Hub.
• Several winners will be invited to the crQlr Summit to present their projects, take part in open discussions and receive live feedback from judges.

The crQlr Meetups are a series of online and offline events that aim at creating organic connections among the “makers of the future” who are working toward a circular-oriented society.

At the Nagoya crQlr Meetup, participants will meet local sustainability pioneers and learn about activities based on the circular economy, sustainability, and other efforts toward realizing a sustainable society. In vol. 1, three creators and entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds will give short presentations on their circular economy projects.

Date: Fri, September 2, 2022 18:30 – 20:15 (JST)
Place: FabCafe Nagoya (offline, advance reservation required)
Capacity: 25 people
Language: Japanese
Fee: 1,100 yen (includes one drink)
Organizers: Loftwork Inc., FabCafe Nagoya, AWRD,
Coorganizer: Tokai Circular Economy
Details and reservation: https://fabcafe.com/jp/events/nagoya/220902-cmu-ngy-vol1/

We are pleased to welcome the winners of the crQlr Awards 2021 to present cutting-edge case studies and current trends of the circular economy. After their presentations, guest speakers will take part in a panel discussion where they will explain how to start and design the process behind a project, as well as how to plan for and measure project outcomes. Their experience will be useful to those who are just starting or currently promoting a circular project.

Date: Tue, October 4, 2022 15:00 – 17:00 (JST)
Place: Online (Zoom Webinar)
Capacity: 150 people
Language: Japanese
Fee: Free
Organizers: Loftwork Inc., FabCafe Global, AWRD
Media Sponsors: IDEAS FOR GOOD、Circular Economy Hub
Details and reservation: https://fabcafe.com/jp/events/tokyo/crqlr_202210/ 

This event will introduce this year’s Special Prize and successful case studies of circular projects tailored to specific regional needs. FabCafe Hida, located in the rural area of Gifu Prefecture in the heart of Japan, will share the accumulated knowledge and experience gained through projects that have succeeded in finding innovative applications for local, overabundant timber as a means to regenerate the regional forests, preserve Hida’s ancient wood-crafting culture and revitalize the local community.

Date: To be announced
Place: Online
Capacity: 150 people
Language: English
Fee: Free
Organizers: Loftwork Inc., FabCafe Global, AWRD
Media Sponsors: IDEAS FOR GOOD, Circular Economy Hub
Details and reservation: To be announced

Launched as Japan’s first award in the field of circular design, the crQlr Awards aim at broadening sustainability players’ perspectives through exposure to not only practical know-how in existing industries, but also to inspiring projects from all over the world. The overarching goal of the Awards is to enable companies, artists, and all sorts of professionals to make full use of their creativity in a wide range of fields toward the implementation of circular economy systems. 

Last year’s awards attracted 204 projects from 24 countries, and applicants included companies, organizations, startups, and designers. Among them, 63 award-winning projects were presented with “crQlr Certification” kits to support and promote their circular economy initiatives.

▼See last year’s winning entries here:
URL: https://crqlr.com/2021/announce/