Excellence awards celebrates transformative design from around the world

NEW YORK, NY – The Center for Active Design® (CfAD) has opened submissions for its fourth annual Excellence awards, an international competition that celebrates the transformative role of design in creating healthy communities. Winning projects are recognized as part of the growing Active Design movement using evidence-based design to foster community health. Past winners are leaders and innovators that shape how our buildings, streets, and neighborhoods enhance quality of life for future generations around the world.

The 2017 Excellence awards will accept submissions under the following categories: Built Projects and Research Projects. A single project may qualify to submit to both categories (for example, a building project may submit for innovative design, as well as an evaluation of its impact on resident health). However, applicants must create separate submissions to respond to the criteria of each category.

Since the first Excellence awards in 2014, the Center for Active Design has continued to expand its scope beyond the documented benefits of design to physical health, to embrace holistic community well-being. In addition to physical, mental, and social health outcomes, the Excellence awards will specifically recognize projects that enhance civic engagement. This is in response to CfAD’s pioneering initiative known as Assembly, which is researching how place-based design can enhance civic trust, participation in public life, stewardship of the public realm, and informed local voting.

Submitted projects will be evaluated based on their use of Active Design to demonstrate measurable impact(s) in the following areas:

  • Physical Health: physical activity levels, consumption of healthy food, traffic safety;
  • Mental Health: stress levels, perceptions of safety, cognitive function, academic performance; and/or
  • Social/Civic Health: social interaction, stewardship of the public realm, informed and engaged citizens, civic trust.

A jury of distinguished professionals with backgrounds in health, research, design, and urban development will convene to evaluate Built Project and Research Project entries through a blind selection process. In addition, the jury members and CfAD staff will deliberate to select a single Thought Leadership winner. For a list of past winners and the full rules for entry, please visit the Excellence awards website.

 

About the Center for Active Design
The Center for Active Design (CfAD) is the leading international non-profit organization that uses design to foster healthy and engaged communities. CfAD takes a multi-disciplinary approach to translating research into practical design solutions. CfAD guides the creation and implementation of initiatives that respond to unique community priorities and result in measurable outcomes. For more information about CfAD, please visit www.centerforactivedesign.org and follow CfAD on Twitter @active_design.

 

Editor’s note
See last year’s winners on PRISM https://prismpub.com/award-winning-projects-from-around-the-world-showcase-creative-design-thinking-and-impressive-impacts-on-health-and-engagement/