Terra Carta Design Lab
Ten RISD student and alum-led projects have advanced to the final stages of the 2024 Terra Carta Design Lab competition. Read more about RISD’s top 10 shortlist to learn how they address today’s urgent climate and biodiversity challenges.
RISD has joined the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Terra Carta Design Lab (TCDL) to find student- and alum-led, high-impact solutions to the climate crisis.
This global competition unites the creativity of the RISD community and the power of private sector supporters to support innovative, scalable solutions and highlight the urgent need to focus on collaboration between art, science, design and engineering.
History and context
The competition was launched in 2021 by His Majesty King Charles III, in his former role as the Prince of Wales, and Sir Jony Ive (RISD Honorary Degree ’09), in partnership with the Royal College of Art. This year, the competition includes four design schools from across the world. RISD joins as the first and only US school to participate in this endeavor, along with the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (UAE), the National Institute of Design (India), and the Royal College of Art (UK).
Sustainable Markets Initiative invites students and recent alums (who graduated in the last five years) from these four schools to address the damage being done to the planet and create breakthrough solutions for “Nature, People, and Planet,” inspired by a guiding mandate, epitomized in its charter, the Terra Carta.
Read more in our September 28, 2023 press release.
Competition details
Two projects from RISD will each be awarded £100,000 total in funding, as well as the opportunity to be mentored by Sir Jony Ive and Sustainable Markets Initiative’s vast network to help scale their ideas and bring them to market. Current RISD students and RISD alumni from the past five years (class of 2019 through class of 2023) are eligible to submit projects to the TCDL. Students and alumni from all departments and disciplines are invited to apply.
All submissions will be judged by a panel of experts at each school before they present a top-ten shortlist to the global judging panel for final judging, spearheaded by Sir Jony Ive. The winning eight designs will be announced in Autumn 2024.
Project criteria
Submissions should meet all basic requirements as outlined below:
- Take into account the value of diversity, recognizing that diversity is a strength that gives resilience to communities, systems and organizations.
- Recognize the importance of “local”—local traditions, languages and cultures along with local products, jobs and sustainability—and how these “locals” connect and support each other in the wider tapestry of regional and global systems.
- Have a real and significant impact on the climate emergency and the collapse in biodiversity. Aim to deliver a benefit for human and more-than-human societies and ecosystems.
- Be aligned to one of the 10 Terra Carta articles.
- Be technically feasible, exploiting technologies, tools and resources that already exist or are emergent. There should be no reliance on tech that has not yet been invented.
- Have the potential to be economically and commercially viable. The design should ideally seek to make use of local skills and resources where possible.
- Demonstrate a novel/new approach to solving the challenge and clearly articulate the anticipated benefits of the chosen approach over existing solutions.
- Consider drawing insight from the natural world including especially endangered flora, fauna and sentient beings.
- Demonstrate critical thinking about existing methods and tools for change.
- Be applicable and transferable to a wide range of environments and regions.
Judging criteria
All submitted proposals will be judged according to the criteria listed below. Each criterion will be assessed on a 1–5 scale (with 5 being “excellent” and 1 being “poor”).
Urgency (40%)
- Is the project inspiring, engaging and novel?
- Can it capture people’s imaginations and thereby gain widespread adoption/usage?
- Is it primarily focused on addressing climate change or biodiversity collapse?
- Is the project aligned with Terra Carta goals and the values of the judging institution(s)?
- Is it transferable? Can it operate within the context of both developed and developing economies/populations?
Feasibility (30%)
- Is there a credible team (including collaborators and/or partners) in place to make the project happen?
- Are the plan and deadline for developing and delivering the proposed project credible?
- Is there a good understanding of the main risk areas and how to mitigate them?
- Does the project make use of known technology?
- Is it likely to attract additional funding/investment to allow for scalable impact?
Measurable impact (30%)
- Does the project clearly target a known, quantifiable problem?
- Within what timeframe could it deliver tangible benefits?
- What is the potential scale of impact of a successful project?
- Can its benefits (both financial and non-financial) be readily tracked?
- Can the project’s output become economically self-sustaining over time?
Timeline
Oct 24, 2023
Applications open
Nov 9, 2023
Info session (online)
Feb 12, 2024
Round one applications close
Week of Mar 18, 2024
RISD semifinalists announced
Late March – early April 2024
Orientation and first workshop
Month of April 2024
Workshops and curriculum — round two semifinalist submission prep
late April – early May 2024
Round two applications close
Jun 26, 2024
RISD internal jury shortlist (10 finalist projects to submit to SMI)
Jun 5–Jul 28, 2024
Final judging by global judging panel
Sep 30, 2024*
Global winners announced
* In the event of a delay, winners will be announced no later than Nov 1, 2024.
Social equity and inclusion — our vision
From RISD President Crystal Williams:
“Art and design are essential to realizing a sustainable future. This global effort is an incredible opportunity for RISD students and alumni to apply the question-based inquiry approach they learn at RISD. This is also an important opportunity to help elevate and include voices and people who have been historically underrepresented in conversations about sustainability and the climate crisis. Including a range of perspectives and experiences—particularly from those most immediately affected by these challenges—catalyzes new insights, new discoveries and new solutions that benefit us all. I look forward to seeing the results from the RISD community and our global counterparts.”
To ensure we are enacting this vision, we encourage applicants to engage these questions regarding social equity and inclusion:
- Does your proposal specifically increase the representation of people from groups who are historically underrepresented or currently minoritized or marginalized in conversations about sustainability?
- Does your proposal increase inclusion for people from groups who are historically underrepresented or currently minoritized or marginalized in sustainable design?
- Does your proposal contribute to increasing social equity in relation to sustainability and the climate crisis?
Sustainability in design at RISD
Innovative design projects that encompass sustainability issues are prevalent within our creative community. Here faculty, students and staff consistently develop products, systems and services that address the needs of nature, people and planet.
Samples of violacein, a purple-pigmented bacteria harvested and used in textile dyeing by Kate Reed BRDD 21 ID
Samples of violacein, a purple-pigmented bacteria harvested and used in textile dyeing by Kate Reed BRDD 21 ID
A carbon-negative, petroleum-free raincoat made by Charlotte McCurdy MID 18 using algae-based plastic
A carbon-negative, petroleum-free raincoat made by Charlotte McCurdy MID 18 using algae-based plastic
Bioplastics made by Megan Valanidas MID 18, via a bacteria-centered design process, are made to naturally degrade over time
Bioplastics made by Megan Valanidas MID 18, via a bacteria-centered design process, are made to naturally degrade over time
Ceramics experiments by Jacob Sussman MFA 23 CR using less energy-intensive, more sustainable materials and techniques
Ceramics experiments by Jacob Sussman MFA 23 CR using less energy-intensive, more sustainable materials and techniques
In the news
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The Art Newspaper
“Top art schools in India, UAE, UK and US join initiative to support student-led climate solutions” (Sep 28, 2023)
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The Boston Globe
“RISD joins effort started by King Charles to put climate, people at center of business” (Oct 2, 2023, subscription required)
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Business Green
“Terra Carta Design Lab launches latest climate solution competition” (Sep 28, 2023)
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Wallpaper
“Terra Carta Design Lab announces second edition” (Sep 27, 2023)
Get in touch
If you have general questions about TCDL, please send us an email at partnerships@risd.edu. Use the subject line “Terra Carta Design Lab Query”.
You may also make an appointment with the below members of RISD’s TCDL team. Just click on their name to view their calendar.
- Sarah Cunningham (vice provost, Strategic Partnerships)
- Katherine Cooper (associate director, Strategic Partnerships)
- Sara Ossana (Terra Carta program manager)