Longer lives are a defining trend of the 21st Century. The Stanford Center on Longevity invites university students to design solutions for people of all ages. The Stanford Center on Longevity Design Challenge offers cash prizes and free entrepreneur mentorship in a competition open to all university students around the world who want to design products and services which optimize long life for us all. This year’s challenge focuses on building longevity solutions inspired by cultural changes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Theme:
“After the Pandemic: Designing the Next Version of Our World”
The COVID-19 pandemic is bringing into sharper focus the cultural norms that guide us through life and is providing insights about what a new future might look like. This year, students are challenged to design solutions for the post-pandemic future, keeping in mind both how these solutions affect people throughout the life span, and how they can be designed in ways that are accessible to all. They should take into account what we are learning during the pandemic and how it is changing our lives.
What Kinds of Designs are Included?
Solutions for remote or virtual access will be included in the scope of the challenge, but They encourage participants to think more broadly. Designs could target:
- Remote work and local community connections
- Access to quality education for people of all ages
- Equitable administration of healthcare with limited resources
- Connecting generations regardless of physical distance
- Maintaining health and fitness without going to a gym
- Reducing our impact on the environment
The Challenge will be judged by experts in design and technology including carefully selected academics with expertise on the topic; executives from technology and consumer goods firms; venture capitalists; and senior representatives from related mission-driven organizations.
Judging Criteria
- 40% Impact – will the design improve long life outcomes?
- 30% Originality – has this idea been seen before? Is there something similar to it on the market?
- 20% Feasibility – will the design work? Can it be produced at scale?
- 10% Affordability – teams must identify their target population for the design. Would the cost of the design at scale make it a viable product for that population?
A separate score reflecting the alignment of the design to the topic will be added as a weight to the overall score. For example, if a design were to score 90% on the judging criteria above but only 50% on alignment, the overall score would be 45% (.90 X .50).
Benefits
Finalists will receive:
- $1,000 USD to help with prototyping and finals preparation
- Mentorship from an experienced industry professional
- Paid travel to the Finals at Stanford University in April 2021, conditions permitting. (Each team selected for the finals will be eligible for limited funds to help facilitate participation in the finals. Reimbursement will be subject to Stanford University regulations on reimbursed travel.)
Winners will receive:
- 1st place: $10,000 USD
- 2nd place: $5,000 USD
- 3rd place: $2,000 USD
Eligibilities
- Each team must consist of at least one full-time student from any accredited institution of higher education anywhere in the world (can be undergraduate or graduate)
- Teams may have a total of up to 5 members and may include non-students
- Only students are allowed to present at the Finals
