FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Matt Barron, Tel: 718.290.9283, Email: challenge@bfi.org

THE 2009 BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE PRIZE TO BE CONFERRED AT THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, CHICAGO

OCTOBER 17, 2008 NEW YORK CITY — The Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize conferring ceremony plus four days of Fuller-inspired events will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago, IL June 13-16th 2009.

The winner of the 2009 Buckminster Fuller Challenge will receive the $100,000 cash prize and the stunning OmniOculi sculpture at a conferring ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Art. The conferring ceremony will coincide with the seminal retrospective exhibition Buckminster Fuller: Starting with the Universe presented at the MCA from March 14th to June 21st, 2009. In addition to the conferring ceremony at the MCA, the Buckminster Fuller Institute is organizing events throughout the week from panel discussions, to design workshops, to networking and social events. We will release a full event schedule and other details in the coming months.

“Fuller’s rigorous practice of intuitive thinking and systems-based design - what he called comprehensive, anticipatory design science - could not be more relevant to the urgent discussions around interdisciplinary, multi-nodal, all-hands-on-deck approaches needed to solve our pressing problems. That’s what the Buckminster Fuller Challenge is all about,” said Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Director of the Buckminster Fuller Institute. “I am very excited by what we are putting together for next June in collaboration with the MCA and other organizations and institutions - stay tuned!”

DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES TO THE 2009 BUCKMINSTER FULLER CHALLENGE NOVEMBER 7TH

The 2009 Challenge is already underway and there are just three weeks left to enter! Over 100 design innovators from around the world have started the entry process.

The 2009 call for proposals emphasizes that strategies “must present a bold, visionary, tangible initiative that is focused on a well-defined need of critical importance. They should be regionally specific yet globally applicable, and backed up by a solid plan and the capability to move the solution forward.”

The deadline for entries is midnight (Eastern time) on November 7th, 2008. The members of this year’s distinguished jury will be announced in late October.

For the call for entries, instructions for how to enter, reference materials, and much more, visit http://challenge.bfi.org

To read about last year's winning entry, visit http://challenge.bfi.org/winner_2008

To view entries to the 2008 Challenge, visit the Idea Index http://challenge.bfi.org/ideaindex

Watch the Buckminster Fuller Challenge movie http://challenge.bfi.org/movie