A playground that helps children to learn a new language, a skills exchange platform for refugees and receiving communities, a multi-use fabric that can serve as baby-carrier, blanket, tent, hammock or handbag, a board game to experience the refugee’s journey. Those are just a few of the avalanche of ideas submitted to the What Design Can Do Refugee Challenge, which now enters the selection phase.

From now on, everybody is invited to vote for one of the 600+ entries. The entry that receives most public votes will automatically make it onto the shortlist for the final round, to be announced on 21 June. Public voting is open until 16 June 24:00h. The public can vote through the UNHCR Innovation Platform.

Designers, artists and creative minds from 69 countries submitted ideas to improve the lives of refugees. The Refugee Challenge is a collaborative project by What Design Can Do, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and IKEA Foundation. During the What Design Can Do Live event in Amsterdam on 30 June and 1 July, the five best entries will each receive a budget of 10,000 euros for further development of the concepts.

Out of the 600+ entries submitted, a team of thirty design professionals and humanitarian experts will select 20 to 30 concepts for the shortlist, which will also include the public’s favourite. From this shortlist, the international jury will then select five winners. The jury includes Marcus Engman, head of design at IKEA, arabist Petra Stienen, and Sonia Ben Ali, founder of Urban Refugees.

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