Dezeen and Bentley have partnered for the second year running to launch a global competition calling for pioneering proposals that could have a powerful impact on how people live over the next 100 years.

The Start Something Powerful Competition is free to enter for anyone over the age of 18 of any profession and from any country around the world.

The contest is open for entries until 21 August 2024. It features total prize money of £30,000 and a top prize of £15,000.

Full details of how to enter the competition can be found in the competition brief and rules.

Contest challenges designers to envision how future generations live

The Start Something Powerful Competition coincides with the launch of the new Bentley Continental GT, 100 years after W.O. Bentley unveiled the first Speed motor car to the public.

Judges will be looking for bold, ambitious and forward-looking concepts that could reimagine the way future generations live, just like Bentley redefined the motor car in the 1920s and continues to do so today.

Proposals could include architectural or urban design concepts, product or material innovations, novel mobility or wellness solutions, or anything else that could have a transformative effect on people's lives.

Through the design contest, Dezeen and Bentley aim to discover prototypes that could serve as a blueprint for future living, anticipating the needs, technologies and lifestyle trends for the next century.

Competition calls for ideas that empower people to live fulfilling lives

Contestants are tasked with envisioning innovative architecture or design concepts that respond to rapid advancements in technology, evolving societal norms and environmental concerns to transform people's lives.

Proposals must align with the Bentley brand, demonstrating the highest levels of innovation, beauty and craftsmanship.

Entrants will need to show how their ideas could be harnessed over the next century to have a significant positive impact on people's health and wellbeing, as well as on the natural environment, to empower people to live fulfilling lives for years to come.

Entries will be judged against five criteria

Dezeen and Bentley are seeking original and innovative ideas for the competition. Entries will be judged against five key criteria:

Innovation: how original and ambitious is the concept?
Impact: how transformative could it be in the way people live?
Sustainability: how well does the design mitigate environmental damage and ensure resilience to climate change?
Brand alignment: how well does the design draw from Bentley's rich history of beauty, craftsmanship and innovation?
Visual presentation: how strong is the submitted imagery and how well is the overall concept presented?

Entries will be judged by a panel of designers and journalists from Bentley and Dezeen.

Contestants are free to use generative AI tools for their submission but must disclose what tools they have used and how.

The Start Something Powerful Competition closes for entries at midnight on 21 August 2024.

Three finalists will be announced and published on Dezeen in October 2024. Of these finalists, a winner will be selected, as well as a runner-up and third place.

The winner will win the top prize of £15,000, while the runner-up will receive £10,000 and the third-placed entrant will receive £5,000.

Contest builds on success of last year's Future Luxury Retail Design Competition

This is the second time that Dezeen has teamed up with Bentley to run a global design competition.

The inaugural Future Luxury Retail Design Competition challenged architects and designers to define the future of luxury retail, creating innovative ideas for what luxury retail could look like in 2030 and beyond.

The competition was a huge success, receiving over 145 entries from more than 33 countries around the world.

It was won by Finnish design agency Ultra for its proposal called Bentley Intercontinental Pavilion, which envisioned invite-only, temporary pavilions situated in select locations that would showcase models from an imagined range of Bentley cars called Intercontinental.

Entrants to last year's competition are free to enter this year's contest as well, including winners, finalists and those who made the shortlist.

For more information about how to enter, including the full brief and rules, visit www.dezeen.com/bentley-start-something-powerful-competition-brief-rules.

Partnership content

The Start Something Powerful Competition is a partnership between Dezeen and Bentley. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.