Appear Here has announced the launch of its Space for Ideas competition and is looking for a new generation of ideas to define a new decade. Space for Ideas challenges entrepreneurs, emerging brands and young designers everywhere to turn their ideas into reality.
With the turn of a new decade, the competition is expanding. A new category, Space for Change, has been added, which is dedicated to the ideas that can change our world for the better. This means using space to level the playing field. Focusing on an idea with not just a commercial, but also a societal or social cause.
Activist and environmental campaigner Finn Harries has joined the judging panel this year to lend his social impact expertise to the Space for Change category. Harries built his following via his YouTube channel, JacksGap, where he released short films and travel videos and has been active in the environmental movement for several years. To date, JacksGap has accumulated 4.1 million subscribers and 200 million views across 64 films. He has built up a following of 2m on Twitter and 1.4m on Instagram.
Space for Change is a reflection of a shift underway in the businesses we shop in and the society we live in. This new space will be dedicated not just to products, but to ideas that have the power to shape the world for the better.
Also new for 2020, the Space for Ideas shortlist will be invited to pitch their ideas to a panel of jury members in London, Paris and New York. Final winners will receive everything they need to make their idea happen; including a full store fit-out from a leading design agency, alongside their store space.
The top 4 ground-breaking ideas will receive a two-week flagship store space in one of the world’s top retail destinations: London, Paris, New York and LA. An additional space will be given to the winner of the new Space for Change category in one of the four cities. All winners will receive the mentorship, design advice and budget to bring their ideas to life.
Winners will be chosen by a panel of industry-leading judges, GQ Editor Dylan Jones, Founder of AKQA Ajaz Ahmed, the Co-Founder of Warby Parker,Neil Blumenthal, the Co-Founder of Harrys, Jeff Raider, and Diane Von Furstenberg. Whether an idea is in fashion, food and drink or centred around tackling the climate crisis; Appear Here want to engage with ideas that have the potential to define the decade to come.
Commenting Appear Here Founder Ross Bailey said:
“Decades are defined by culture and ideas that drive them. 2020 isn’t just another year, but a chance for creatives, campaigners, designers and entrepreneurs to think about the mark they want to leave on the world. To ask, ‘how am I going to impact the street, the people and the community I live and work in’. Retail is not dying, it’s changing. The 200,000 brands on our platform are looking for space to make their ideas happen, and the next decade will be transformative for retail.
“For 2020, we have also added a new category to Space for Ideas – Space for Change. This new prize category will be awarded to ideas that have the power to shape the world for the better. We all understand that we have a responsibility to the world we live in. We also understand that the idea of ‘doing business’ and ‘doing good’ are not mutually exclusive. As more and more people start to think this way, businesses across the world must reflect that thinking, or risk being left behind.”
