The Challenge

Will you be ready when the next earthquake strikes Seattle? To help promote earthquake awareness and readiness, Architects Without Borders-Seattle is hosting an open design competition to change the way we think about earthquake preparedness in the Puget Sound area. AWB-Seattle challenges you to propose a potentially life-saving tool, method, system, or product to help our neighbors and community members get ready for the “big one.”

Now is the time to change the way we think about earthquake preparedness as a community. This competition will focus on generating informed, creative, and meaningful design solutions that address the general public’s level of preparedness. We are seeking a variety of ideas that can better equip our community to withstand a severe earthquake, not a single, one-size-fits-all solution. Entries can focus on one or more of the scales below:

• House/Individual

• Neighborhood

• City/Region

Judges will evaluate each proposal with the following criteria in mind (see below for more information):

• Effectiveness

• Adoption/Implementation

• Equity/Accessibility

• Creativity

All entries will be displayed at the 2016 Seattle Design Festival Block Party in Occidental Park. Whatever the solution - a brochure, app, product design, architectural or urban intervention - it needs to be explained in a clear and concise format.

Registration Deadline: August 15th, 2016

Submission Deadline: September 1st, 2016 at 12 PM

Winners Announced: September 10th, 2016

Exhibit: Saturday and Sunday, September 10th and 11th, 2016

To enter, please register online no later than August 15th, 2016 at: http://awb-seattle.org/ready-to-rumble/