Winners of the Design 21 Social Design Network Competitions Announced

Imagine a world where your family is safe from disaster, where your children create their own masterpieces and where your neighbors prevent, rather than induce global warming.

DESIGN 21: Social Design Network challenged designers from across the world to do just that; imagine how design can have a social conscience and how it can create positive change in the world.

This week, the top three winners of the first-ever DESIGN 21 Social Design Competitions were announced, showcasing the most innovative ideas and breakthrough designs from a pool of more than 800 applicants representing 59 countries.

The three competitions, Heated Issue, Child's Play and ShelterMe address pressing social issues in our world today including global warming, children's education and natural disaster response.

The competitions were open to all members of the Design 21 network, a global network of designers and socially conscious individuals.

For a two-week period, members of the community voted for their favorite designs, and the winners were chosen from the top-voted applicants by a panel of expert judges and jury members.

The favorite designs were then awarded with a first, second or third place award, in addition to the "Most Popular Award" and the "DESIGN 21 Award of Excellence."