DIP 2027 brief
When life doesn't go to plan
The brief
When stability disappears, everyday systems fail. This brief focuses on supporting everyday life in difficult conditions. Disruption is no longer rare. Floods, fire and drought caused by climate change, infrastructure failure and population movement are increasing in frequency and scale. You are invited to design a product that supports people through the consequences of these types of sudden disruption.
Your solution must demonstrate how plastics can enable users to rapidly adapt and survive to a change in living conditions. The challenge is not only to sustain life, but to maintain dignity, restore function and support the transition towards recovery. Designs should respond to real constraints, recognising the limitations of access, resources and time. Your design should be quick to deploy, easy to use and effective in challenging conditions.
It should show clear thinking around how it could be made, scaled and used in the real world. Your use of plastics should play an active role in how the product performs. Your solution should adapt, evolve or extend its use overtime. When everything else fails, what should still work? – Your product!
Key dates
13th March: Submission deadline
27th March: Preliminary judging
20th - 23rd April: Finalist training at FANUC UK
8th May: Final judging
12th June: Award ceremony
Prizes
1st Prize | £1,000
2nd Prize | £750
3rd Prize | £500
Highly Commended | £250
All six finalists receive a cash prize, a bespoke plastics training course and a year’s affiliate membership of IOM3.
The top three finalists also receive a guaranteed short industry placement. This is a valuable opportunity to gain first-hand experience working alongside design professionals.
What can plastics make possible?
Plastics should play an active part in your solution; not simply be the material it is made from.
Think about how the material properties could improve the design, reduce weight, combine functions, enable features or contribute to a more sustainable solution.
Make the choice of plastic part of the innovation.
“I would highly recommend taking part in DIP, as it gives the experience and knowledge of manufacturing and has challenged me in different ways to boost my skills as a designer.
It has definitely opened up many doors for me and help with finding my place in the design industry.”
Harry Wragg, a DIP award winner