a design contest for led outdoor lighting. grand price is a built prototype of the winning design, an all expense paid trip to light fair 2010, $1,000, plus royalty opportunities.

lg mobile phones is running a competition. your assignment: imagine the future of personal mobile communication. predict what’s next. what do you think mobile phones should look like in 2, 5, or 10 years? …

the one good chair design competition is back for 2009. this year’s theme: design an original chair that embodies and enhances a particular place, anywhere in the world but one you know and love, even if you don’t live there.

the dwell ‘innovate it!’ design competition is now in its second phase: three user-submitted suggestions for everyday objects that need re-imagining are chosen, and now the competition is open for submitting redesign proposals.

the chosen objects are:

- don’t-drop-your-pants hanger

- a great coffee cup that doesn’t leave a ring

and

- not yo’ mama’s ironing board.

find more info on the chosen objects, then submit your entry.

from the new york office of fellissimo, the design competitions and store goods of social designer are ‘linked with causes that tune into the greater good’.

design21 is running a design competition sponsored by the nature conservatory and the forest stewardship council US: design an object made from a single sheet of 4×8 feet plywood, that is flat packed and can be repeatedly assembled and disassembled.

note: they currently seem to be linking to the wrong document for the competition details.

if there is one design contest right now that i would like to win, it’s probably this one:

- 3 months residency in copenhagen with your own studio

- dkk 50,000 to cover your material costs

- guidance including career coaching

- after a long day at work, retreat to your private flat furnished with all the great danish design classics

- your work will be exhibited for 2 weeks at the normann copenhagen flagship store

here’s the original blog entry with some nice pictures, here’s the official contest page.

a new company that uses the principle of crowd sourcing to raise the necessary capital for bringing new products to market. users ‘pre-buy’ a product, which is only produced once the necessary order size to fund the related development is reached.

interesting idea, although the current site may not explain this concept well enough to the consumer. further, unless the product is really an absolute must-have, i am skeptical on how long consumers are willing to wait between placing an order and potentially receiving the product.