Material Driven Innovation Award 2022
Making Well-Being: Materials for Better Human Living

Organizer: MTRL/Loftwork

We are excited to introduce the Material Driven Innovation Award 2022, a new award that seeks to uncover new material narratives. We’re now accepting entry submissions for the theme of “Making Well-Being: Materials for Better Human Living”.

Join Loftwork and materials platform MTRL as we kick off the inaugural Material Driven Innovation Award 2022. (Submission period: Tuesday, January 18, 2022 – Tuesday, February 15, 2022, 12:00 noon JST)

With renewed emphasis on our health and well-being in this new era of living, the demand for new and innovative services and products in this space is growing fast.

How might we develop and update products for changing lifestyles? And more importantly, how can innovative materials help to enhance industries ranging from food to skincare – and, in turn, engender better human well-being?

Material Driven Award is a series of design awards that explore meaning born from materials, purpose-built for innovative material manufacturers. Each edition of the award will embrace a central theme, based on both world trends and industry demand in Japan. For this Spring 2022 series, we are in search of materials that can inspire better human well-being and living.

A dedicated supporter of material driven innovation, MTRL by Loftwork is on the lookout for innovative materials around the world. Together with industry leaders, creators and movers and shakers, we hope to not only co-create the well-being of the future, but inspire others to discover their own definition of the well-being experience.

Loftwork is a creative company dedicated to making a positive impact through design with a global community of innovators. We provide innovative design solutions to global clients across various industries, through a range of services and platforms – including MTRL, our material design and innovation platform.

Here at MTRL, we work with a variety of materials, ranging from the common to the cutting-edge, and have supported companies, research institutes and local governments in product development, the development of new applications, as well as branding for new markets. Through MTRL shops and labs, creators and manufacturers can also test, shop for and process materials on the spot.

According to the World Population Review, European countries consistently top ‘quality of life’ rankings each year. Helping us to take on a perspective of living from outside of Japan, our global partner in Europe – FabCafe Barcelona – has been invited to be our official global organizer for the Spring 2022 edition of the Material Driven Innovation Award. We hope to gather innovative materials locally to encourage innovative collaborations between the East and the West.

With quality mobility and ample urban green space, Barcelona is renowned for its first-rate urban life. As part of the award, FabCafe Barcelona will share with us the city’s unique mix of business innovation and leisure, and the ways in which this unique vision can inspire better well-being.

A series of events will be hosted at FabCafe Barcelona to bring together material manufacturers and innovators.

FabCafe is a series of ‘Fab’ innovation labs that specialize in creating products, services and experiences of the future. FabCafe Barcelona first opened its doors in 2014, making its mark as FabCafe’s first-ever European branch in a growing global network. As part of the coworking space Makers of Barcelona, FabCafe Barcelona serves and fosters the creative community of this fabled city, helmed by physicist-turned-entrepreneur David Tena Vicente.

Material Driven Innovation Award welcomes material submissions in any form, any stage, any industry and anywhere in the world. When we say ‘any form’, we mean any form; we are after everything from tangible products, materials, technology (sensor devices, too!), early-stage projects and even types of services.

Evaluation will be based on the potential of the materials aligning with the theme. Material name, characteristics and manufacturing process will be required for entry submissions.

MDIA is calling for submissions of innovative materials with the potential to create products that contribute to human well-being. Aside from relevance to award theme, our evaluations with also consider the following aspects:

Function/Design

How does the function of the material bring new value to the product in use? Does it have diverse possibilities, such as collaboration with different materials and different industries?

Meaning/Value

How does the material contribute to affluence (i.e. good for humans and the global environment)? What impact do the materials themselves have on society, and how will society be changed by using the materials?

Story/Message

What is the overall message that this material is delivering – and through what kind of story? What long-term, rather than short-term, values can it engender? . In short, we are looking for materials that either have quality characteristics or a manufacturing process with a great story.

Last but not least, we would like to know the ways in which the theme of well-being is interpreted.

• ​​Gain A Deeper Understanding of “Well-Being”:
  Applicants will be able to deepen their understanding of materials that can inspire better human well-being and living, an abstract concept that may only be further realized when linked to one’s own products or works.
• Re-Examine the Value of Materials and Branding:
  The value of materials is not only about specifications and functional appeal. This is an opportunity to consider the qualitative meaning of “value”, zooming in on consumer sensibilities.
• Connect with Fellow Well-Being Practitioners:
  From manufacturers to fellow creators, find peers with similar experiences and values, especially in the context of well-being. Applicants will also receive concrete feedback on the materials from relevant researchers and practitioners who are also striving to make a difference.

Through this new award, we hope to not only realize our visions of well-being, but also discover new and dedicated ways to develop materials for our fast-changing environment.

Award Winners (1 Grand Prize and 3 Finalists)

The material selected as the Grand Prize winner will be packaged into a uniquely designed sample kit, with 50 units distributed to interested organizations and companies. This opportunity will not only generate buzz for the new material, but allow the creator to establish industry connections.