NEWS 2023.09.20

Open Call to Design a Circular Society
– the crQlr Awards 2023

The crQlr Awards (“Circular Awards”), which has garnered attention worldwide, launches its third edition!

What is crQlr?

How can we transform our current economic system into a circular one? We believe that the power of design can make this transition possible.

The shift from a linear economy to a circular economy is being challenged and re-defined by societal change, government policies, the ebb and flow of global and local markets, and the undeniable effects of climate change. It is no longer enough to strive for sustainability simply from the top down.

Circular design, an essential component in achieving a genuinely sustainable economy, demands not only practical know-how within existing industries but also calls for expanding horizons through engagement with local and global projects. Moreover, it necessitates harnessing the creativity of entrepreneurs, artists, and experts across diverse fields. The crQlr Awards began in 2021 as a means to accomplish this goal.

The crQlr Awards connect the international creators and professionals currently designing the future with a jury of sustainability leaders in order to support the collective creation of the blueprints of a new world.

This open call is seeking projects and ideas that drive the circular economy forward and is organized and operated by Loftwork Inc. and the global creative community FabCafe.

Click the images below to see 2022's and 2021's award-winning projects

Enter the 2023 crQlr Awards here

Perspectives for project ideas

See more details here

Viewing circular design from diverse perspectives

Evaluation criteria

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

International judges from diverse fields

Our international panel of judges will use their own respective perspectives and backgrounds while examining entries. The panel will not try to determine whether one project is superior to another but rather seek to discover and support creative, unique, and future-thinking projects that provide new insights and perspectives while designing for a circular economy.

The 2023 Judging Panel

About the 2023 judges

About the 2022 judgesAbout the 2021 judges

Initiatives started from the crQlr Awards

Winners' Activities

Judge David Benjamin visits the award-winning project, INOW, to research circular ecosystems in the Japanese countryside during Colombia University’s Circular Design Tour.

INOW: Tour with Colombia University

Reconsidering the Connection Between People, Architecture, and Cities in a Circular Economy – Event series commemorating the 2022 crQlr Awards.

The Asanuma Corp.'s GOOD CYCLE BUILDING TALK

Mikafi pop-up event and workshops, “Explore the next generation coffee experience”

Mikafi Pop-up Event

Comments from Previous Winners

2022 Winning Project: GURUGURU Radish

Since winning this award, we have been able to create new cross-industry collaborations, which have led to our customers and company fostering a deeper understanding and recognition of the circular economy. This contributed to the further growth of our brand. We have seen a notable positive impact over the past year since receiving the award, including the restructuring of overlooked services in our company and using new perspectives to accelerate product development. As these kinds of changes don’t happen overnight, we truly appreciate the value of this award, which creates connections among those who share similar values and spotlights innovative ideas.

2021 Winning Project: INOW

Winning this award gave us the opportunity to collaborate with many people who have a comprehensive understanding of circularity. Being a part of crQlr inspired us and has allowed us to reach people we couldn’t have reached before. As a result of winning the award, we were able to meet and have a discussion with David Benjamin, a professor at Columbia University, and his graduate students, who took part in INOW’s educational program. This interaction gave us a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas and receive feedback. By holding workshops and other activities, we were able to convey the purpose of INOW, and we are truly grateful for this experience.

Merits of winning

Individual prize names and comments from the crQlr judges

The comments will be considered as Creative Commons and winners are permitted to use them freely.

“crQlr Awards Winner” certification logo

To promote their award-winning project by publicizing their efforts in contributing towards a circular economy.

Media coverage

On Loftwork, FabCafe, IDEAS FOR GOOD, and Circular Economy Hub.

Published interview
*Select winners only

Interviews will be published and promoted on IDEAS FOR GOOD and Circular Economy Hub.

Projects displayed at the crQlr Exhibition
*Select winners only

Projects will be exhibited at a FabCafe branch (either in FabCafe Tokyo or another branch) as part of the crQlr Exhibition scheduled for March 2024. We will provide support for round-trip airfare from within Japan or overseas, as well as a 3-night stay in Tokyo (up to one person per winning project).

Invitation to the crQlr Summit
*Select winners only

The crQlr Summit Tokyo is scheduled for March 2024. Winners will present their projects, take part in open discussion sessions, and receive live feedback from judges.

Prizes at the 2023 crQlr Awards

Individual Jury Prizes

Each of the Judges will award a personalized prize name and individual comment to up to 5 entries.
Last year’s award-winning entries can be viewed here.

Special Prize

Projects that fit the theme of “New Relationship Design” are eligible for this prize.

Irrespective of genre or scale, this prize seeks projects and ideas that put circularity into practice by going beyond traditional industrial structures and systems, and instead, focus on fostering new relationships among stakeholders.
*All entries automatically qualify for the Special Prize.

crQlr Awards schedule

OPEN CALL period … Tuesday, Sep 19th, 2023 – Friday, November 10th , 2023, 12:00 JST
Evaluation Period … Wednesday, Nov 22, 2023 – Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Winners Announcement … January 2024
crQlr Exhibition and Summit … March 2024

Apply to the 2023 crQlr Awards here