Wege Prize Gets Students Thinking About Design Solutions

Can we empower young people to address complex problems with design solutions that build a better future for people and the planet?

The Wege Prize shows we can. Each year, we’ve inspired teams of college and university students from around the world to collaborate across cultural and institutional boundaries to redesign the way economies work. Taking on today’s “wicked problems”—including poverty, hunger, and environmental degradation—they’ve developed circular economy solutions that reduce waste, regenerate natural systems, and keep materials in circulation and out of landfills.

Examples of their on-location tours and learning experiences included:

• John Ball Zoo, where the students learned about wildlife conservation and inclusive, universal design for a public place.
• Common Object Studio, a specialist in sustainable and regenerative industrial design, where a hands-on workshop illuminated how furniture design can create closed loops using local materials.
• BAMF Health, where participants witnessed an innovative medical start-up with the world’s first vertically integrated platform for intelligence-based theranostic medicine.
• Grand Rapids Public Museum, where they were introduced to the Grand River Restoration, a 2.5-mile project to reintroduce rapids—and aquatic habitat diversity—to this major waterway.
• Kids′ Food Basket, where students got hands-on exposure to farmwork and food distribution, nourishing needy who face a world of food insecurity.

During this two-week journey, the students formed four teams, all working under the guidance of qualified facilitators, to research, conceptualize, and develop solutions for wicked problems of their interest. They learned to work through the lens of whole-systems design thinking, sustainable development, and the circular economy—just as leading design professionals do—to address challenges both global and local.

Wege Prize High School Collaborative Studio culminated in final-day team presentations of their completed concepts to an audience of community leaders. The students parted with portfolio-quality design work, letters of recommendation, and valuable professional mentoring. Just as important, the teens built skills, knowledge, experience, perspective, and real network connections that expand career opportunities—and inspire them to more actively engage with the world around them.