Mumbai, Sep 3, 2024: The Swarovski Foundation’s Creatives for Our Future programme, in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, which seeks to identify and accelerate the next generation of Indian and global creative leaders in sustainability, is now open for applications until October 16. The programme offers winners mentorship from industry leaders and a €20,000 fund.
The programme is open to young creatives worldwide, aged 21 to 30, from a multitude of disciplines including fashion, design, art, architecture, and engineering. Successful applicants should be working on an original project or product that uses the creative process to drive awareness, technology or solutions for sustainable development and drives progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the United Nations.
To date, the programme has supported 21 projects in innovative design, founded and initiated by young creatives, who have ground-breaking ideas for addressing the world’s sustainability and development challenges. The programme has enabled them to develop and scale their projects - either with funds to build on their research, or through mentorship and networking opportunities to unlock new directions.
Previous winner Gunraagh Talwar Singh said the programme was crucial to his success. Gunraagh is an Indian architect and urban practitioner committed to enhancing the equity and resilience of urban environments. Having documented the adverse effects of dumpsites on ecosystems and communities, he has innovated an upcycled construction solution to concrete - Dumpcrete. Crafted from legacy wastes such as construction debris and silts, Dumpcrete is growing to be a circular construction alternative while simultaneously addressing the pressing issue of sustainable legacy waste management. This approach promises to transform how we build and manage urban waste, fostering a more sustainable and resilient future for our cities. Through the programme, Gunraagh is now testing formulations and procuring materials to refine Dumpcrete further and create a mainstream product offering for industrial adoption. The mentorship received through the program has also helped Gunraagh develop partnerships with global organisations, such as Ramboll and UNDP, who are supporting his goal to address the waste management issue in the Global South.
Of his experience as part of the Creatives for Our Future 2023 cohort, Gunraagh said: “Through the Swarovski Foundation Creatives for Our Future programme, I’ve been able to reach out to global organisations and unlock relationships which will put Dumpcrete on the path to expanding its technology. By reaching more communities in the Global South, we hope to literally pave the way for cleaner, more resilient urban environments.”
After discovering that 500 million people still lack access to menstrual hygiene management, another past winner Sejal Budholiya invented Gaia, a tool to ease the logistics of changing sanitary products. It is used to store used and unused sanitary products, especially where people cannot dispose of them easily such as in military and rural regions. Through the Creatives for Our Future programme, the 23-year-old from Uttar Pradesh, India was able to test Gaia and collaborated with another programme alumna, Polish graphic designer Agnieszka Doczynska, to raise awareness about women’s health and menstruation by creating an open-source educational kit called Menstrupedia after graduating from the programme in 2022. Sejal is continuing to develop the product to serve menstruating soldiers by including an incinerator in the tool and optimising it for use by astronauts in space.
Sejal said, “The grant from the Swarovski Foundation allowed me to test Gaia without boundaries and develop its first iteration, as well as expand my thinking into additional collaborations with my fellow cohort members. The Masterclass sessions were also indispensable to my self-development and encouraged me to think about sustainability through different creative mediums. I now hope to distribute Gaia to rural communities in India and across Africa.”
Jakhya Rahman-Corey, Director of the Swarovski Foundation, said, “Now in its fourth year, we are excited to open applications to the Swarovski Foundation Creatives for Our Future programme and nurture the next generation of inspiring talent from India and globally. The Swarovski Foundation’s mission is to promote sustainable livelihoods through education to reduce inequality. With the Creatives for Our Future programme, we can harness this through young creative talent seeking to break innovative ground and spearhead new approaches and ideas in sustainable development.
“Having so far received more than 1500 applications from 92 countries, and supported 21 cohort members, it showcases that creativity has the power to solve global challenges and achieve sustainability goals. The Swarovski Foundation is looking forward to welcoming this year’s applications to turn their ideas into reality through access to education, resources, and a vital support network.”
Annemarie Hou, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships, said, “We need young talents, from fashion to engineering, to use their creativity to tackle sustainable development challenges. With mentorship, industry connections, and funding, these young people are turning obstacles into opportunities and driving real progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. Through the Creatives for Our Future programme, we are fostering the next generation of leaders."
This year, six successful applicants will receive financial support of €20,000, along with an education programme in collaboration with top international institutions, tailored one-on-one mentorship, and industry networking opportunities to advance their innovation and career.
Entries for this year's programme are open from September 3 until October 16 (4.29 am IST). Successful applicants will be notified and announced publicly in April 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
