Melbourne Design Week in 2020 is taking shape for the third year in a row and is now calling for proposals in response to the theme ‘How does design shape life?’

With dates set from 12–22 March 2020, the leading annual design event is an 11-day showcase that puts the value of design front and centre. Expect a full program of talks, tours, workshops, launches and exhibitions driven by a goal of questioning, proposing and testing new ideas. At its core, Melbourne Design Week responds to the appetite and need for meaningful opportunities to experience, communicate and think about design.

Calls for expressions of interest are currently open, asking participants to experiment with ideas, materials, places and processes in response to the central question ‘How can design shape life?’

The programming falls under five thematic pillars, as follows:

Healthy Cities

Our cities are continuing to become denser and populations are set to keep climbing. Cities bring unique opportunities across the board but they also generate pollution, inequality and resources. Design is an integral component in responding to the problems our cities face.

Design Cultures

Posing questions around how design plays a role in shaping culture, this theme speaks specifically to the diverse contexts, backgrounds and ideas that can fall out of a cultural practice and its production.

Waterfront

A theme curated in collaboration with Open House Melbourne. Waterfront explores the waterways and surrounding city, investigating its role in Melbourne.

The War on Waste Continues

A hugely successful and highly topical component of the Melbourne Design Week program, The War on Waste looks at climate change, waste and pollution as a designing moral issue of our time.

Design Evolution

Looking ahead to the future, Design Evolution asks for reimagining’s of buildings, vehicles and products – materiality and innovations. Speculation and breakthroughs, this theme is about championing a new wave of design thinking.

Key dates

Expressions of Interest close: Sunday 15 September 2019
Successful submissions notified: October 2019
Final content for program due: November 2019

Apply here

And check the website for more information here.