Nature Contest 2020
Nature Contest 2020 now is over!
Nature Contest 2020, the most comprehensive annual contest of ideas inspired by nature, has been recently opened for entries inviting everyone from all disciplines and regions of the world to participate.
About Competition
Nature Contest, the most comprehensive annual contest of ideas inspired by nature, now is calling for entries in its 2020 edition!
... Everything we see in nature including ourselves is an outcome of 4.2 billion years of research and development. Our own mental capacity is linked to our understanding of nature. It is easy for us to see how technology has changed in the last 20 years because we are at the receiving end of technology. But the creators of technology know that this transformation would not have been possible without new lessons from nature. The way we understand nature today is radically different from the way we understood it only a few decades ago. For example, once we considered the brain as the CPU of a body centrally processing all its functions. But over the last few decades, we have discovered that even skin alone can adapt to multiple changes at the same time (through molecular-level reorganizations). And that our immune system is actually a complex adaptive system. This new knowledge of complexity in natural systems has made organisms much different from how they appeared only a few decades ago. So, how do you see nature today? Do you think that nature can guide us in solving the problems of humanity? Also, what stops you from envisioning a future inspired by nature? Is it lengthy protocols of publishing scientific research or is it our school culture that discourages asking questions? Nature Contest invites you to think big and bold without worrying about details. Orgnaizer is looking for the essence of your revolutionary thought-albeit articulated clearly either through drawing or through writing. If you can propose a nature-inspired design solution to a self-identified problem or a policy which benefits entire humanity, Nature Contest is looking for you.
Organizer suggests that you start off by looking at the sketches of Abbas Ibn Firnas and Leonardo da Vinci. Da Vinci combined different compounds to make his own color pigments and went on as far as digging up graves. He would dissect human organs to understand their anatomy and his cross-sectional sketches are published in medical books to date. According to him, if we could mimic the shape, size, mechanics and proportions of a bird in a scaled-up version of similar machine then that machine would fly as well. This theoretical premise turned out to be untrue but it laid down the foundations for research which transformed the way we travel today...It is tragic that such passion seems to be becoming rare now. Our educational system effaces the natural curiosity of a child and we get bombarded by endless images, news, and information all the time. We do not feel the need to observe nature and create with da Vinci’s tenacity. On the other hand, those of us who take the initiative find out soon enough that it is nearly impossible for an individual to invent new technology.
Categories are:
❶ The design concept for nature gadget
Artists, product designers, engineers, sculptors, technologists, inventors, concept artists, and all those people who observe nature uniquely in their own way and who can visualize their imagination through sketches, models, drawings, 3D renders or in any other visual media, are invited to participate in this category. Design concepts should be thought-provoking, bold, and inspired directly or indirectly from different processes of nature. It is entirely up to the participants, how they visualize and share their ideas. The only restriction is 2 x A3 size sheets (11.69 x 16.53 inches each)in landscape orientation saved in PDF format.
❷ The written idea on nature policy
Researchers, writers, planners, policy-makers, environmentalists, activists, storytellers, poets, dreamers, and all those people who have evolved their unique ideas to a point where they can write them down, are invited to participate in this category. Powerful ideas must be in some way related to nature. Ideas may be articulated in the form of an essay, a fictional story, a poem, or any other writing genre. The only restriction is the English language and 1500 words limit, saved in Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) on A4 size document.
❸ Portfolio of previous work inspired by nature
Send your CV and portfolio in PDF format if you have worked on projects inspired by nature. For example, art exhibitions, design works, research articles, publications, etc. It is up to the contestants how they visualize/present their portfolios.
You can submit only 1 entry.
You need to email your entry at: submission@naturetutor.com.
The winning entries from all three categories will be pubished in the Nature Tutor magazine.
There is no entry fee to partecipate!
Eligibility
Individual participants from all disciplines and regions of the world are invited to participate. Participate in a group is not allowed. There is no age limit.
Prize
Top 10 design concepts will receive equal cash prizes, certificates and will be published in Nature Tutor magazine. All entries will be published online as well.
Entry fees
There is no entry fee to participate!