“Inclusion begins where invisible barriers are finally seen.”

Image: Flow Festival, Petri Anttila

APPLY NOW:

YFD Competition – Designing for Inclusivity

“Inclusion begins where invisible barriers are finally seen.”


Applications are now open for a new Young Finnish Design competition created together with Tieto Tech Consulting, Flow Festival and Inklusiiv.

Young Finnish Design and Tieto Tech Consulting are working together to support young Finnish designers and promote inclusivity. Together with Flow Festival and Inklusiiv, the partners are united by a shared commitment to designing better, more inclusive experiences for a diverse range of users and festival goers.


Only three designers will be selected.


This is a selective competition process.
Only three designers will be selected to participate in the competition and work together with the partner organizations during the challenge period.

The competition explores inclusivity within the Flow Festival experience and focuses on identifying invisible barriers that can affect participation, belonging and accessibility.

WHO CAN APPLY

The competition is intended for:

  • young early-career designers regardless of age

  • students and recent graduates (graduated within the past 5 years)

  • Applicants eligible for the competition include students currently studying design in Finland, as well as graduates of design programs in Finland. Exchange students who have studied design in Finland are also eligible to apply for the competition.

Design disciplines:

  • service designers

  • user experience designers

  • spatial designers (interior designers, interior architects and architects)

  • furniture designers

The application period is now open until Wednesday, June 3 and only 3 designers will be selected.

Images : Flow Festival, Petri Anttila

WHY APPLY?

This competition offers a real opportunity to work with established organizations on an important and meaningful topic.

During the competition, selected designers will:

  • receive support and guidance throughout the process

  • participate in online sparring and mentoring meetings

  • collaborate with professionals from the partner organizations

  • gain experience working on a real-life design challenge

  • showcase their work to a wider audience

Few designers at the beginning of their careers get this close to genuine collaboration opportunities with recognized organizations and festivals.


Young Finnish Design and Tieto Tech Consulting started working together to support young Finnish designers and promote inclusivity. Together with Flow Festival and Inklusiiv, the partners are united by a shared commitment to designing better, more inclusive experiences for a diverse range of users and festival goers.

If you want to design a more inclusive Flow Festival for everyone, this competition is for you!
Images: Flow Festival, Andrew Taylor

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

Flow Festival aims to create an experience where everyone can feel welcome and included. However, many barriers to participation are invisible — they may appear as moments of uncertainty, overload, exclusion, friction, or unmet needs within services, spaces, communication or experiences.

The selected designers will explore how the festival experience could become more inclusive by identifying these invisible barriers and developing new concepts and ideas to help reduce them.

The competition welcomes multidisciplinary thinking and solutions related to:

  • overall user experience

  • services

  • spaces

  • technology

  • digital experiences

  • products

COMPETITION SCHEDULE

  • Application period ends: Wednesday, June 3 at 11:59 PM

  • Interviews and selections: Week 24

  • Competition period: June 16 – July 29

  • Winner announcement: August at Flow Festival during the Design Talk event

  • Prize for the winner: €1,000

“Inclusion begins when invisible barriers are made visible.”
Images: Flow Festival, Miia Närkki

HOW TO APPLY

Send:

  • a short application explaining why you should be selected

  • your portfolio or a link to your portfolio, website or Instagram portfolio

Applications should be sent to:

heidi.huovinen@youngfinnishdesign.com

Application deadline:
Wednesday, June 3 at 11:59 PM

See Flow Festival through new, more inclusive eyes — and apply now.

Need more information?

Please contact :
Heidi Maria Huovinen,
Cofounder, Young Finnish Design Oy
heidi.huovinen@youngfinnishdesign.com

Images: Flow Festival, Petri Anttila

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