Share your vision for a more sustainable future and win!

Can you imagine what a better, more sustainable future might look like? We are currently facing a crisis of the imagination, with many people struggling to envision a positive resolution to the multiple crises facing our planet and society. Launched in November, the Good Living 2050 contest aims to fill some of the gaps in our collective imagination by challenging emerging artists, designers, illustrators and other creatives and sustainability thinkers to develop 1- 4 images of what everyday life might look like in 3 decades’ time.

Contestants are asked to think beyond the clichés of the futures we typically see, avoiding dystopias and Westernised utopias, and thinking beyond techno fixes and inter-planetary or virtual escapism. They are encouraged to explore socio-cultural diversity, the role of tradition, alternatives to materialism and the systems that might support fundamentally different ways of living in the future. Entries will be accompanied by a short explanatory text, and a panel of 7 judges from across the globe will contribute their diverse perspectives to the selection of three prize winners.

The contest is open for submissions until 15 February 2023, and winners of prizes up to $5000 will be announced in March 2023. It forms part of the Beacon for Sustainable Living, a joint initiative of non-profits OneEarth Living and the Hot or Cool Institute supporting those leading the way on sustainable everyday living. Utrecht University’s Urban Futures Studio is partnering on the Good Living 2050 contest, with Blake Robinson and Vanessa Timmer taking the lead.