paul mallett proposes that the City of Launceston develop and a deliver an annual “Student Design Competition” (SDC) that specifically challenges young people to devise innovative solutions to pressing social, environment, and economic issues.

Inspired by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Student Design Awards (established and run since 1924), paul proposes a similar initiative in our region that encourages young people to apply their thinking to the resolution of real-world challenges. See also posts on Citizen Science and Social Labs.

The Student Design Competition would follow an annual cycle:

• Brief development: Each year, Council would collaborate with industry partners to create design briefs addressing current local, regional or global challenges.
• Student participation: Students and recent graduates from across the city, region and state submit proposals responding to these briefs.
• Judging process: Entries undergo a two-stage evaluation—shortlisting followed by interviews with finalists.
• Awards and recognition: Winners receive awards, up to and including internships or mentorship opportunities, and are celebrated in a public ceremony.

The Student Design Competition would aim to:

• Empower emerging change makers: Encouraging students and recent graduates to apply design thinking to real-world challenges.
• Promote socially responsive design: Focusing on solutions that benefit society, the environment, and the economy.
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration: Bringing together diverse perspectives to tackle complex problems.
• Launch careers: Providing a platform for participants to pursue roles in design and innovation.

More broadly, the initiative would seek to:

• Align with the Australian Curriculum: Integrate design challenges into academic programs to encourage participation.
• Foster industry partnerships: Collaborate with businesses and organisations to ensure briefs address real-world needs.
• Promote accessibility: Offer bursaries or free entry options to ensure inclusivity across socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Celebrate achievements: Publicly recognize participants’ work to inspire broader engagement and validate the importance of design in societal progress.

Po: Could this initiative replace (or partially replace) the current youth forums that council facilitates.

Po: Could this competition offer broader appeal and engage larger numbers of young people in the design of solutions for the pressing issues of our time?

Po: Could council Officer’s time be redirected to the competition and youth engagement?

Note:

According to the University of Tasmania course guide (Design Thinking ZAD121), design thinking draws on creative, iterative and collaborative approaches to problem-solving, including exploration of potential solutions though idea generation, rapid prototyping and testing. While conventional approaches to problem-solving often rely on the application of highly structured methodologies and process controls, design thinking encourages incorporation of diverse perspectives, free association of ideas, subjective perspectives and emotional inputs. Design thinking often generates innovative solutions to problems due to its more open-ended approach.