Deadline: October 4, 2026
Wege Prize 2027: A Student Design Competition for the Circular Economy
- Team Application Deadline: October 4, 2026
- Final Results Announcement: May 21, 2027
- Four-phase competition structure:
- Phase 1 / Apply: August 3 – October 4, 2026 → 90 teams accepted
- Phase 2 / Design: October 19 – December 6, 2026 → 30 teams advance
- Phase 3 / Refine: January 4 – February 21, 2027 → 15 semifinalists
- Phase 4 / Present: March 15 – May 16, 2027 → 5 finalists
- Developing a new circular product or service from the ground up
- Using circular design principles to uncover new opportunities within existing systems
- Cross-disciplinary problem-solving addressing complex "wicked problems" through circularity
- Limited to university student teams
- Up to 5 students per team
- Must include representation from a minimum of three academic disciplines
- Must include representatives from at least two different institutions of higher education
- Participants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate, or post-graduate degree program anywhere in the world
- Team members must be enrolled full-time (or equivalent) for the majority of the competition; if graduating before May 2027, must be enrolled as a student through at least December 6, 2026
- Total Prize Pool: $65,000
- 1st Place: $30,000
- 2nd Place: $20,000
- 3rd Place: $10,000
- Plus 2 Finalist Awards of $2,500 each
- Judges provide direct, in-depth feedback coaching at every phase (Coach, not just score)
- Teams retain full intellectual property rights to their solutions
- Global learning laboratory experience fostering cross-functional collaboration
Wege Prize, organized by The Wege Center for Sustainable Design at Kendall College of Art and Design, Ferris State University, with support from The Wege Foundation, is a unique competition that functions as both a product design competition and a global learning laboratory. Open to university students worldwide, the competition requires transdisciplinary teams (minimum 3 disciplines, minimum 2 institutions) to develop products or services that solve complex "wicked problems" through the framework of the circular economy. The competition progresses through four structured phases (Apply → Design → Refine → Present), with professional judges providing in-depth feedback coaching at each stage to help teams iteratively evolve their solutions. The 2026 champion was a team of South Sudanese students who transformed a key water contaminant into a solution for malnutrition. The competition emphasizes that teams retain full ownership of their intellectual property, encouraging genuine innovation and entrepreneurial spirit. Info session held on September 1, 2026.
