Wege Prize

🌡️ Extreme heat is a growing global crisis — but the answer isn't cranking up the AC. It's smarter design.

A new World Economic Forum report highlights a "heat-resilience stack": passive cooling materials (like radiative surfaces and phase-change materials) paired with active, AI-driven building systems. One Stockholm school cut peak cooling demand by 20%+ this way.

It's a great reminder of what Wege Prize is all about — challenging students worldwide to design real, scalable solutions to problems like this one. And it's encouraging to know that the next generation of sustainable builders is already thinking this way. 🙌

Learn more at the link in the comments 👇

Applications for 2027 are now open!

The challenge: build a diverse team of five students and develop a product or service that solves a wicked problem — while making circular design its differentiator.

Everything you need to start is in the 2027 Design Brief : wegeprize.org/2027-design-brief
Apply by Oct. 4, 2026.

There's no shortage of design competitions—so what makes different?

🤝 Judges who coach (not just score) - direct, in-depth feedback is at the heart of the competition's iterative process.

🔄 Open-ended challenge - if you're developing something that solves a problem and makes circular design it differentiator, there's a place for you here.

🌍 Transdisciplinary by design - Wege Prize teams must represent 2+ institutions and 3+ disciplines, mirroring the diverse skills and perspectives needed to solve systemic issues in the real world.

Wege Prize 2027 application period opens August 3. Dive deeper and spread the word with our 2027 Info Guide: wegeprize.org/2027

What if university students — from every discipline and every corner of the world — were the ones to redesign the way we produce and consume?

Wege Prize 2027 applications open August 3 — a global student design competition where transdisciplinary teams (5 students, 3+ disciplines, 2+ institutions) build real circular economy solutions, coached by expert judges at every stage, and compete for $65K in prizes to bring their ideas to life.

Know a student — or a whole crew of them across different majors — who should apply? Send them this way👇

🔗 Learn more at wegeprize.org/2027-info-guide

❓Send questions to [email protected]

Reliving the energy and connective nature of the 2026 Awards!

We've got a belly full of 🔥 from all of the incredible ideas our finalist teams brought to the stage this year—and we're already looking forward to Wege Prize 2027 👀

📸: Ellen Dzuibek / Ferris State University

Congratulations to the winners of 2026! 🙌 🎉

To these incredible students: we're humbled by your dedication, inspired by your work, and beyond excited to see what your futures hold.💚

The 2026 Awards are here! 🎉 Join us via livestream at wegeprize.org starting at 10 AM EDT to see our five finalist teams present their bold ideas to transform the way we produce /consume and ignite game-changing solutions for the of the future! 🔄

Let's create a restorative, waste-free 🙌 🔄

Join us virtually on May 15 for the 2026 Awards, where university students from around the world will present their bold ideas to transform the way we produce /consume and ignite game-changing solutions for the future! 🔥

Admission is free—RSVP to attend at bit.ly/2026WegePrizeAwards