Wege Prize 2026 , Grand Rapids, Michigan / Vereinigte Staaten

 

Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University‘s Wege Center for Sustainable Design

with the support of The Wege Foundation

 

Wege Prize is an annual competition that ignites game-changing solutions for the future by inspiring college/university students around the world to collaborate across institutional, disciplinary, and cultural boundaries to redesign the way economies work. Participants contend for $65,000 (USD) in total cash prizes, all while learning—and helping to show the world—what the future of problem solving looks like.

 

Each team must leverage its transdisciplinary makeup to collaboratively design and propose a product, service, business model, or other solution to a wicked problem of their choosing that can help us transition from a linear economic model to a circular economic model.

 

College/university students from around the world apply as transdisciplinary teams of five, representing different academic disciplines, institutions, and degree levels.

 

October 5, 2025

 

Winning teams will split the following awards evenly between their five members:

First Place: $30,000 (USD)

Second Place: $20,000 (USD)

Third Place: $10,000 (USD)

Finalist Awards (2): $2,500 (USD)