FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: JenJoy Roybal, Tel: 718.290.9283, Email: challenge@bfi.org

1. ONLY 30 DAYS LEFT TO ENTER THE BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE
TO ENTER visit: http://challenge.org/ DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES: OCTOBER 30, 2009

2. PROJECTS FROM THE IDEA INDEX FEATURED IN TIME MAGAZINE
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September 30, 2009, NEW YORK CITY -Only 30 days left to prepare and submit applications for the Buckminster Fuller Challenge. This distinguished international prize program awards $100,000 to support the development and implementation of a solution that has significant potential to solve humanity's most pressing problems.

"There is a movement afoot--of highly motivated individuals all over the world seriously engaged in coming up with solutions to the mounting set of problems we face. These design pioneers and social innovators are not waiting for large scale institutions to deliver us to a sustainable future. They understand the critical role they play as the change agents for the future we all want to see. These are the people and projects we are excited to see submit an entry to the Challenge. We have an amazing line-up of the international systems thinkers and design pioneers serving on the jury. This year we plan to capture and publish some of the discussion leading to the selection of the winning solution as we feel it surfaces some of the most critical issues faced in trying to figure out which solutions are leverage points for turning the ship around." expressed Executive Director, Elizabeth Thompson. Below is key information and important links to share with your networks and get involved.

Jury
The Jury for the 2010 cycle will be announced October 15, 2009. Past jury members have included Janine Benyus, Sir Nicholas Grimshaw, Helena Norberg-Hodge, Jamais Cascio, Hazel Henderson, Danny Hillis, Hunter Lovins, Bill Browning, Edie Farwell, William McDonough, Adam Bly, Greg Watson and Vandana Shiva.

Entries
Past entries include bold, visionary strategies across the spectrum of human endeavor, from a radical solution to human transportation in the world's largest cities to a strategy to dramatically increase crop yields and economic development in remote African villages. While the entries cover a broad range of topics, the common thread among them is a highly integrated approach to design - one that is simultaneously comprehensive, anticipatory and aligned with nature's fundamental principles. This focus on an integrated design strategy is what distinguishes the Challenge and the innovators who have submitted their work from other prize programs. These solutions can be found in the Idea Index.

-To review the criteria that drive the selection of the winning solution click here: Challenge Criteria
-To review the selection process click here: Selection Process

Idea Index
The Idea Index represents a growing pool of knowledge about how to tackle some of the most inexorable problems facing our global society - ready to be picked up and put into action by investors, philanthropists, designers, artists, policymakers, and anyone who wants to change the world.

It is not just a static database of projects; it is an interactive hub for discussion and debate. The tools provided by the Idea Index allow users to comment on entries, contact the submitters, and engage in dialogue with the Buckminster Fuller Challenge community.

The Buckminster Fuller Institute is working with educators and researchers to expand the capacity of the Idea Index to be utilized as an active touchstone for investigating dynamic solution sets. By opening up this body of work to research it is our hope that a deeper understanding of complex problem solving is gained, decision making is better informed and that best practices around developing and implementing solutions can be parlayed into the larger effort to improve how humanity operates on the planet.

-To review previous, winners and past entries click here: Idea Index

Featured Projects in Time Magazine
This month Time Magazine featured two proposals from the Idea Index in the September 21, 2009 issue: Community Pioneers. Embrace is a project that seeks to help millions of low-birth-weight babies born every year in the developing world. Kickstart is a project that uses an irrigation pump and a business model to help lift families out of poverty in the developing world. To see the projects in the early stages of their development go to: Embrace/IdeaIndex or Kickstart/IdeaIndex
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CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
October 30, 2009, midnight, Eastern Time: Entry Deadline
December 1-19: Interviews
January 2010: Semi-Finalist Announced
January-March 2010: Jury deliberations
March 2010: Finalist Announced.
May 2010: The Winner Announced
June-July 2010: Prize conferring ceremony and public events (TBD)

LINKS
-To Enter: http://challenge.bfi.org
-Jury: 2008-2009 Jury
-2008 and 2009 Entries, Idea IndexIdea Index.
- To Watch the Buckminster Fuller Challenge video visit: http://challenge.bfi.org/movie
- To view the 2008 winner visit: http://challenge.bfi.org/winner_2008
- To view the 2009 winner visit: http://challenge.bfi.org/winner_2009
- Press Page