$100,000 up for grabs in Bucky Fuller Challenge

Six figures are there for the taking for a motivated person with a good idea.

The Williamsburg-based Buckminster Fuller Institute recently announced an open call for its 2016 Fuller Challenge, to be awarded to, “innovative solutions to humanity’s most pressing problems.”
The institute is looking for people from the worlds of science, design, architecture, activism and art for an idea which, “looks for whole-system solutions that both demonstrate a clear grasp of the ‘big-picture’ and focus on a well-defined need of critical importance. If, for example, your proposal emphasizes a new design, material, process, service, tool or technology, it is essential that it be part of an integrated strategy that simultaneously addresses key social, environmental, and economic factors.”
Previous winners include Ecovative and Green Wave. Ecovative is an upstate company that builds a replacement for styrofoam out of mushroom cultures. The idea came from a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute student and was developed with help from faculty at the university. The story was covered in an excellent New Yorker article a few years ago. Green Wave is a saltwater farming company that raises what it calls “restorative species” like scallops, oysters and clams to achieve sustainable fishing.
Buckminster Fuller, the man for whom the institute is named, was a singular figure in 20th-century American science and thought. He’s most famous for popularizing the geodesic dome, but had a career that included more than 30 books published and a treasure trove of fascinating details.
Applications for the prize will be accepted until March 1.

Apply