News & Events

2024 FourC Challenge 24-hour Design Charrette Contest

October 19 – 20, 2024

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FourC Challenge 

24-hour Design Charrette Contest

​The FourC Challenge stands for Create, Connect, Communicate, and Collaborate. It advocates students pay attention to the developmental trends of human society, create innovative ideas in practice, and pursue optimal designs for solving real life problems. At the same time, they must show the courage to disrupt and subvert in order to create work with social and industrial value. By combining theory and practice, they can lay the groundwork for a sustainable, healthy, and beautiful living environment.

The inaugural theme of the competition in 2020 was "ReConnect", aiming to evoke people's yearning for post-pandemic life and the future through design. The theme in 2021 was "ReVive", focusing on improving the relationship between humans and the environment and achieving healthy and sustainable development through design. And the theme in 2023 was “ReNewal”, aiming to utilize design as an effective tool for transforming technology into resource-saving measures, creating sustainable community spaces, and promoting the smooth operation of communities. The FourC Challenge, as an interdisciplinary, cross-regional, and cross-school online collaborative innovation competition, attracted participation from nearly 100 top universities and over 500 students from 14 countries worldwide. It received coverage from more than 70 professional media outlets.

86400 seconds, 1440 minutes, or 24 hours can be an ordinary day or a day filled with creativity and passion. This design challenge aims to stimulate participants' imagination and creativity within the limited time frame. In just 24 hours, it brings together young individuals from different nationalities and backgrounds to explore and solve social problems from different perspectives. The goal is to propose innovative, scientific, forward-thinking, and practical design solutions.

The FourC Challenge is not just a simple competition but also a platform for communication and deeper understanding with the world. Through 24 hours of mutual learning and communication, we hope that students can meet and get to know the world, collaborate, exchange ideas with others from different countries, and positively influence people's lifestyles and shape a better future through the power of design.

Participating institutions

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Theme of 2024

As scheduled, the 4th FourC Challenge 24-hour Design Charrette Contest will take place from October 19th to 20th, 2024, with the theme “ReSonate". In a time of great societal change, it is even more important to keep people connected. It is hoped to use design to transcend borders, specialties, and institutions, respond to existing social issues, and co-create a sustainable and more inclusive habitat with heartfelt resonance.

The competition is by direct invitation, along with individual registration. Participants will be randomly signed to teams to facilitate exchanges and innovation among students of different nationalities and backgrounds. The competition will follow a Make-a-thon format, allowing participants to create online for 24 hours, with the submission of outcome videos and online evaluations. Representatives and mentors from outstanding design institutes worldwide will provide guidance throughout the competition. Additionally, experts will be invited to deliver speeches on the competition theme, providing innovative knowledge input and inspiring thinking for the students.

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Plan of 2024

The challenge will be held entirely online on voov meeting. Students will join in interdisciplinary teams. To achieve better communication and connectivity among students from different nationalities and social backgrounds, participants will be divided into mixed groups based on different majors and schools. This is also the key point of the contest—to create, connect, communicate and collaborate. The grouping results will be announced on the day of the contest.

The challenge will be in form of online Make-a-thon. The participating groups will produce creative design online within 24 hours.

Required equipment for the contest (computers, programs and software, etc) as well as prototype production materials will be provided by the participants themselves.

Participants will present their work in demonstrations via video display, and the judging panel will review all works based on factors such as creativity, completeness，and technical and commercial potential.

Each team will submit a 3-minute demo video (in MP4, AVI, MOV or other format) under 100M to explain the design concept at the end of the contest. Another 2 design layouts (format to be provided at the day of the contest) are also required. The content should include, but will not be limited to; the project name, design sketch, and a description of the work not exceeding 150 words.

We will have experienced teachers guiding the whole contest through to ensure participants receive informed input and suggestions. The mentors will work in 2-hours shifts. This provides a great opportunity for both students and participating teachers to learn more about the variety of design education. This was also the most exciting part of previous contest, which, again, resonating precisely with our vision of the FourCs.

The judging panel is composed of cross-border experts, including eminent academics, professionals and industry leaders.

The judging panel will undertake a comprehensive assessment of the finalists based on the demo videos of submitted works. Winners will be awarded prizes and will have opportunities for product incubation.

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Registration

There is no registration fee. Please fill out the “FourC Challenge 24-hour Design Charrette Online Registration Form” by clicking on the link at the bottom. After reviewing materials, the organizer will notify participants by phone or email along with a guide to the contest and other relevant information.

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Contact

E-mail: sdesign@sjtu.edu.cn

Ms. Bai

Registration link: https://www.wjx.cn/vm/OQnQJgL.aspx#