“갈등의 시대, 경계를 넘는 사회적 디자인” 논의의 글로벌 장 열어

SDGs Design International Awards 2025 실행위원회(동서대학교, 규슈대학)는 12월 11일(목) ‘SDGs Design International Awards 2025’ 시상식을 성공적으로 개최했다. 이번 국제 디자인 공모전은 UN 지속가능발전목표(SDGs)를 주제로 전 세계 대학생과 고등학생이 참여하는 글로벌 창의 플랫폼으로, 올해는 “갈등의 시대에 함께 살아가기: 경계를 넘는 사회적 디자인”을 주제로 진행됐다.

특히 올해 공모전은 동서대학교 라이즈(RISE) 사업단의 지원으로 개최되며, 지역·산업·교육이 연계된 글로벌 디자인 역량 육성의 대표 프로그램으로 자리매김했다. 이번 공모전은 ▲평화를 위한 디자인 ▲소외된 목소리와 함께하는 디자인 ▲온라인과 현실 세계를 잇는 디자인 등 세 가지 분야를 기반으로 진행되었으며, 시각·환경·패션·제품·건축·도시·공학·사회 등 다양한 영역에서 사회 문제 해결을 위한 창의적 아이디어가 출품되었다.

46개국 430개 작품 출품, 국제 공모전 위상 강화

10월 1일부터 31일까지 진행된 접수에는 46개국 430개 작품(99개 대학, 15개 고등학교)이 출품되며 공모전의 세계적 위상을 다시 한번 입증했다. 특히 올해는 전쟁, 기후위기, 사회적 분열 등 글로벌 갈등 요소를 디자인 관점에서 재해석한 작품이 다수 제출되어 심사위원들의 큰 주목을 받았다.

예비·1차·최종, 3단계 심사 통해 우수작 선정

출품작들은 11월 한 달간 예비-1차-최종 심사의 총 3단계를 거쳐 최종 수상작이 선정되었다. 국내외 디자인 전문가들이 심사위원으로 참여해 ▲창의성 ▲사회적 가치 ▲실현 가능성 ▲디자인 완성도 등을 종합적으로 평가했다.

경계를 넘어 지속가능한 미래를 함께 고민하는 자리

실행위원회는 “올해 공모전은 갈등의 시대에 우리가 어떻게 함께 살아갈 수 있는지, 그리고 디자인을 통해 어떤 사회적 대안을 제시할 수 있는지를 깊이 성찰한 의미 있는 자리였다”며 “앞으로도 국제적 창의 인재들이 SDGs 목표 실현을 위해 지속적으로 협력할 수 있는 플랫폼으로 발전시키겠다”고 밝혔다.

최종 수상작은 동서대학교 디자인대학 및 아시아미래디자인연구소 홈페이지를 통해 확인할 수 있다.

■ Presentation by the Winner

◾ Gold Award Winner

< Link-it : Fostering Sustainable Independence Through Peer Partnership >

Minseo Kim, Seojung Park - University Of Ulsan, Korea

◾ 작품컨셉 : Link-it is a specialized social design initiative confronting the systemic instability faced by young adults transitioning from institutional care (care leavers) upon aging out at 18. This project aligns with the themes of “Social Design in Partnership with Marginalized Voices.” The target population is uniquely vulnerable due to the abrupt termination of both financial and, critically, relational support networks. Link-it proposes a fundamental redesign of this support model, moving beyond temporary aid to establish a Sustained Relational Framework. Our primary innovation is the implementation of a Peer Mentorship System. This involves rigorously selecting and training successfully independent care leavers to serve as trusted guides. This strategy utilizes lived experience as a form of expertise, ensuring an immediate, deep bond built on shared understanding-a resource traditional mentors cannot easily replicate. The core of this system is dedicated digital platform, the Link Channel, which provides a secure, reliable lifeline for real-time consultation, crucial for minimizing errors during high-stakes decisions like lease agreements or financial planning. This comprehensive approach is designed to transform systemic vulnerability into sustainable personal resilience and establish longterm, reliable Allyship across societal divides. Link-it provides structured, empathetic guidance to empower care leavers to become autonomous agents of their own stable futures.

◾ Silver Award Winner

< Order >

Bitna Tak, Sinji Joung, Minsu Kim - Sejong University, Korea

◾ 작품컨셉 : Order is a wearable communication device designed to empower older adults who face social isolation and digital barriers. The primary aim of Order is to bridge the digital divide and strengthen human connection, supporting seniors to confidently access digital public services and actively participate in daily life. Order combines a brooch-shaped smart camera, which instantly reads and interprets information from kiosks or printed materials, with AI-powered hearing aids that deliver clear, real-time voice guidance. This solution dramatically reduces confusion and dependency for elderly users, especially those with hearing loss or low digital literacy. The device’s innovative, voice-based interface transforms digital complexity into a familiar “ask and listen” experience, inspired by the natural flow of human conversation. Through a human-centered design, Order restores autonomy, combats loneliness, and encourages social engagement among older adults. By making real-time digital information accessible through spoken explanation, Order supports both online and offline communication, enabling seniors to interact more independently wherever they are. Ultimately, Order presents a scalable, inclusive model for digital adaptation that directly contributes to reducing social isolation and advancing the SDGs in an aging society.

◾ Bronze Award Winner

< Seasons Under Glass : Accessible Indoor Gardening for Lifelong Well-Being >

Yuanzi Wu - Pratt Institute, US

◾ 작품컨셉 : This project supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) by creating an inclusive indoor gardening system that promotes physical health, mental clarity, and social connection among seniors and physically challenged residents in Hudson, New York. In Hudson, long cold seasons—lasting over three months—restrict outdoor activity and contribute to social isolation among the elderly. This project addresses the scarcity of accessible indoor activity spaces by transforming underutilized community areas into year-round therapeutic gardens. These spaces are designed with height-adjustable raised beds (24–36 in), enabling comfortable participation for individuals with mobility or balance limitations, including wheelchair users.The system integrates aromatherapy, sensory planting, and shared healthy-diet activities to enhance multisensory engagement—stimulating sight, smell, touch, and taste. Beyond physical activity, the gardens become social hubs where residents can share experiences, converse face-to-face in greenery, and reconnect through nature. By combining accessibility, modular design, and sensory well-being, this project offers an innovative, inclusive approach to aging-in-place and community resilience, redefining how built environments support wellness for all generations.

■ Honorable Mention-37 Teams

< Visible road, city of walking together-City Togetrun >

Seong Ju Eun - DongseoUniversity, Republic of Korea

◾ 작품컨셉 : Convenient public transportation and travel for the blind and leg-impaired can open the way for consideration through user guidance, hearing and touch, and convenient ways to inform the outside that they are blind. It can be sponsored by users and provided to people in need, providing freedom to the blind who cannot go to travel destinations alone. We strive to come up with a system structure for cost reduction and perception change for the blind.

• 총 37개 팀이 우수한 창의성·주제 적합성·사회적 가치 실현 가능성 등을 인정받아 Honorable Mention(입선)을 수상했다.
• - 팀 명단 : https://uni.dongseo.ac.kr/adcf/index.php?pCode=MN8000043&mode=view&idx=1056

■ High School Special Award-4 Teams

< MindBridge : A Virtual Friend for Real Teens-Get Close to Their Minds >

WenfanSha, ZiHanQi - Beijing Navigation School

◾ 작품컨셉 : Our mission with MindBridge is to alleviate the pervasive sense of panic and anxiety that many teenagers experience as dusk falls each day—be it from the overwhelming pressure of unfinished homework or the accumulated stress of a difficult day. We specifically target adolescents, a group whose emotional needs are often overlooked.A key attraction of our product is its unique, customizable shell, produced using eco-friendly 3D printing technology. This allows users to express their individuality by switching to a design that resonates with them, making the device not just a tool, but a personal and sustainable companion.We believe our core innovation lies in addressing two critically neglected areas. First, we recognize that teenagers are not a monolith, they crave and deserve personalized AI services that adapt to their unique emotional and academic needs. Second, we pinpoint and address the "sunset anxiety"—a specific time-triggered emotional low that is rarely acknowledged. Through MindBridge, we aim to bridge this gap in awareness, demonstrating how technology can be thoughtfully harnessed to foster genuine concern for adolescent mental well-being, transforming a time of dread into a moment of supported reflection.

• 고등학생 부문에서는 4개 팀이 High School Special Award(고교생 특별상)을 수상했다.
• 이는 SDGs 기반 디자인 교육의 확장성과 미래세대의 사회문제 해결 역량을 높이 평가한 결과이다.
• - 팀 명단 : https://uni.dongseo.ac.kr/adcf/index.php?pCode=MN8000043&mode=view&idx=1056