SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED – STAY TUNED FOR THE LIST OF FINALISTS
The Next Work Environment Competition is a transformative opportunity to shape the future of work environments. We invite creative minds from around the world to share their ideas. As we strive to create workspaces and experiences that inspire, nurture, and empower individuals, we offer an extraordinary incentive: the chance to make a profound impact on people’s lives.
Imagine a work environment where employees thrive, their full potential is unleashed, and collaboration and innovation flourishes. This is your chance to create and support that space while inspiring greatness, enhancing well-being, and enabling the best work.
You can redefine what’s possible. The 2024 Next Work Environment Competition is your chance to submit your visionary ideas that will define the path forward for the future of work.
Announcing the 2024 Categories:
Design an innovative work solution, idea or product that prioritizes employee well-being and mental health. Your proposal could include strategies, spaces, or programs that address stress reduction, burnout, work-life balance or mental health support. Explain how your solution can be implemented in both remote, 3rd place and in-office environments, and how it will contribute to a healthier, more productive workforce.
Offices are here to stay! Share a concept or completed idea that envisions the future of office buildings and how they might serve the workforce but also be repurposed. Concepts can include strategies, workspace design, amenities, technology, experiences or key moments, adaptive reuse, enhanced sustainability and other solutions that relate to the future of office buildings.
Modern Workplace Metrics
Forget cost/ft2! We’re seeking innovative ideas for new metrics that accurately measure employee well-being, productivity, and overall organizational health. Share your vision and help shape the future of workplace evaluation!
Furniture, Flooring & Textiles
Whether it’s in the office, at home, or any space in between, we’re calling for pioneering solutions that revolutionize comfort, aesthetics, and wellness. Submit your innovative designs, prototypes, and groundbreaking ideas that not only enhance physical comfort but are also stylish, eco-friendly or supportive of a healthier lifestyle.
AI and the Future of Work
Think beyond what’s available today and imagine how AI can revolutionize work and workplace environments for the better. Share your innovative concepts or solutions that demonstrate how AI can enhance productivity, improve employee well-being and foster collaboration.
Hybrid Work Environments
Propose a hybrid work model that seamlessly integrates remote and in-office work (and anything in between). Your concept should address key challenges such as maintaining team cohesion, ensuring equal access to resources, and optimizing productivity. It could include transformative designs, cutting-edge technology solutions, or forward-thinking policies that support flexible working arrangements while meeting key business objectives.
Pick A Problem
This category offers a blank canvas for individuals and teams to address the urgent challenges of today’s rapidly changing work environments. Select a problem you’re passionate about solving with the goal of enhancing success for individuals, teams and organizations.
Planet Positive Impact
Share a new plan or innovation solution for creating a sustainable workspace that minimizes environmental impact. This can include highly energy-efficient building designs, waste reduction initiatives, green commuting options and sustainable office supplies. Detail how your idea can be adopted by various industries and the long-term benefits it will bring to the environment and the organization.
Who’s Eligible?
The competition is open to all creative (human) thinkers. You can participate as an individual or a team of up to six individuals.
SUBMISSIONS ARE NOW CLOSED – STAY TUNED FOR THE LIST OF FINALISTS
Judging Criteria
Our esteemed Jury may recognize work for clients and futuristic ideas (theoretical work) across all categories. They may also recognize any submission for any reason that demonstrates uncommon thinking, exceptional innovation and that stands out amongst others.
Why Enter?
You have a chance to positively impact how work gets done. And just for entering, you’ll be added to the list of Future Shapers including your organization or individual name (with your permission).
Winning ideas will be celebrated in September 2024 and beyond through custom articles on workdesign.com. You’ll also receive a digital pack to share news of your win on LinkedIn and beyond.
Where are they now? Check out past winner updates here!
Each submission should include:
- Your contact information including name(s), address, phone number, and email(s).
- A name for your solution and if it is an existing product/solution/project or is theoretical.
- A description of specific project or solution (500-words max).
- Supporting images (up to 10 images max). You have complete discretion on the number, format and choice of visuals submitted. Sketches, plans, axonometric or perspective renderings, photographs, images of 3D models, etc. may be used to convey the specifics of your design.
- Please be sure to remove your name, team, or design/architectural firm or company name from the images.
- All images must be submitted in JPEG format.
- (Optional) You can include a supplemental video, Instagram Reel or TikTok as well. Suggested length: 7-30 seconds. Max length: 3 minutes.
- In the interest of publishing as many winning entries as possible, by submitting you are giving consent for Work Design Magazine to share your idea with the jurors, sponsors and the WDM audience. See more details here.
The same submission can be entered in multiple categories.
Guidelines
Participants can use AI-generated imagery to enhance and support their design concepts. However, the core design work, including the development of ideas, strategies, and solutions, must be original and created independently by the submitter/submitting team. We call it Human Intelligence!
More specifically, here are some guidelines for incorporating AI in your submission:
- AI-Generated Imagery: Use AI tools to create supporting images such as renderings, visualizations, and mock-ups to illustrate and complement your ideas.
- Original Work: Ensure that all fundamental work and ideation is done independently by you, the participant.
- Cite AI Tools: Clearly indicate and cite any AI tools or software used to generate the supporting images.
- Submission Requirements: Outside of your 500 word submission, please also include a brief description of how AI was utilized in your submission, specifying which parts of the images were created using AI and which were done manually.
By adhering to these guidelines, you can effectively leverage AI for visual support while showcasing your unique creative and strategic ideas.
Key Dates:
August 19th @ 11:00AM EST: Submissions are now closed
Week of Sept 4th: Publication of the List of Finalists
Sept 19th: Live Reveal on the Workplace Innovator Podcast by Eptura & Winner Articles will begin to post on workdesign.com
Meet the 2024 Jury:
- Rex Miller, Author, Speaker, Principal and Thought Leader, Go mindSHIFT
- Frank Cottle, Founder and CEO, The Alliance Group / Allwork.Space
- Ben Waber, Visiting Scientist, MIT; Senior Visiting Researcher, Ritsumeikan University
- Hassan Shaikh, Senior Manager Workplace Strategy, Boehringer Ingelheim
- Yasmien Fadl, AVP, Head of Design & Experience, Enterprise Real Estate, TD Bank
- Steven McCollom, Global Design Strategy Lead, People + Places, Intuit
- Alexis Dennis-Huether, Associate Principal, The SLAM Collaborative
- Dave Gilmore, President & Chief Executive Officer, DesignIntelligence
- Francisco Lasta, Inclusive Design and Marketing Strategy, Muller2
- Jessica Collins, Director of Design, Interiors, HOK
- Ebbie Wisecarver, Chief Design Office, WeWork
- Antonia Cardone, Americas Lead | Total Workplace, Cushman & Wakefield
- Jessica Cooper, Chief Product Officer, IWBI
- Ken Wilson, Design Principal, Perkins + Will
Pricing Per Submission:
NOTE: One idea can be submitted in up to three categories for a small increase in price.
- Individual Submission in 1 category: $100
- Individual Submission – same submission in 2 categories: $150
- Individual Submission – same submission in 3 categories: $200
- Team Submission (up to 6 members) in 1 category: $500
- Team Submission (up to 6 members) – same submission in 2 categories: $750
- Team Submission (up to 6 members) – same submission in 3 categories: $1,000
Have a question?
Special thanks to our 2024 Innovative Brand Partners:
Special thanks to our 2024 Market Partners:
