Allowing an unusual level of freedom, the Tree Houses in Paradise competition calls for a structure stabilised in coconut palm trees well above ground, with few if any walls required, no heat or cooling systems, and no building codes to adhere to. Central to this philosophy is a sustainable approach with a respect for the environment. The building sites are located in Fiji, Vietnam, China and Maui.

In its first year, the competition has been funded by the BBC London and the National Geographic Channel.

Entries close 29 August 2011.

For more information, the brief and details on registration go here.

The LICC concept was developed in 2006 by artist Launa Bacon and the Farmani Group to give international creatives the chance to be selected for the annual London Creative Award publication and to connect with an international audience. Since 2009 the LICC has drawn together creative work from around the world, connecting designers, photographers, artists, architects and film makers. The Farmani Group also runs the International Design Awards and  The Lucie Awards for photography.

Entries are juried by a board of internationally recognised artists, writers, curators and gallery owners who encourage entrants to push the boundaries of creativity. Creative disciplines eligible to enter include the following:

–Textile design
–Environmental design
–Fashion design
–Graphic design
–Illustration
–Painting
–Photography
–Video and film

All work must be submitted by Monday 1 August 2011 and all successful entries will be published in the LICC Annual.

For further information visit the London International Creative Competition here.

The Award aims to give artists – working in the fields of media, architecture, design, music, theatre and fine arts – and scientists, the impetus and opportunity to work between the priorities of the arts or between the arts and sciences.

Artistic, scientific and technical means may be employed in the realisation of entries. Individual works and projects or project concepts are eligible for entry.

Due 31 May 2010.

For more information and to apply visit here.

The theme for the Seoul International Design Competition is ‘design for all – future technology and daily living’. The ‘design for all’ concept has been chosen with the objective of inspiring designers to increasingly pursue design production that can be shared by all, removing emotional and physical barriers by becoming an universal communicative social solution. There are three categories in which designers may submit entries – ‘product for all’, ‘communication for all’ and ‘space for all’.

Submissions will be assessed by a panel of international professional designers (panelists TBA). All projects submitted should be original and not be currently in serial production.
The designs entries may not be marked with any form of identification (name, logo…) entries will be disqualified under these terms.

The jury will award designs and concepts which are innovative in terms of their formal/technological aspects as well as their social relevance. Please don’t send in vague concepts, but go a step further.

There are several lucrative prizes on offer in this competition:

- Golden haechi prize: One winner to receive USD $10,000.
- Silver haechi prize: Three winners to receive USD $2,000 each.
- Bronze haechi prize: Five winners to receive USD $1,000 each.
- Iron haechi prize: A maximum of ten winners to recieve USD $500 each.
- Honorable mention: Up to two hundred people will receive this certification.
- People’s choice awards: Twenty winners will be awarded this certification.

Application registration is open until 13 July 2010.

The winning submissions will be exhibited during the exhibition period of the Seoul Design Fair 2010, 17 September to 7 October 2010 and will be published online on the designboom website.

For more information and to register an entry visit here.

A crisis can bring about change. It forces us to rethink our lives and our relationships and lead us to adopt new outlooks or rethink the way we do things. While the world has been rocked by a deep recession, many have seen the flip-side of this crisis as one of opportunity; the chance to start over, or reset priorities, to take initiative to create some positive and meaningful change in their lives, big or small.

The goal of this competition is to come up with the idea and design for a game that can improve lives or inspire new behaviors, whether personally, professionally or communally, to create change.

The game could teach an individual or a group new life skills or propose a more sustainable way of living, working or interacting either at home or in our community. It does not have to operate on a grand scale. Small is also welcome. The objective and spirit of the game should be to inspire or create positive change.

It can be a digital or online game, or take the form of a traditional board game, or simply be an activity that is interactive (like charades, for example). It can be designed for one, two or more ‘players’. But it must be a game and that also means involving an element of fun.

Your game must be clearly explained with images and words (not words alone).

In addition to the general judging criteria of overall effectiveness, creativity, practicality and aesthetics, which apply across all Design21 competitions, the judges for this competition will be looking for the quality of the idea and how well it responds to the brief.

The first prize winner will receive USD$2,000 and the second prize winner, USD $1,000.

Applications due 11 May 2010.

For more information and to apply visit here.