As announced at the HCD.10 conference in Las Vegas last November, Vendome Group, publishers of HEALTHCARE DESIGN magazine, The Center for Health Design, and Nurture by Steelcase have created a unique opportunity for architecture and design students to participate in a conceptual healthcare design competition. Challenged with a theme of “waiting,” students will research the current challenges within the selected healthcare environment, determine opportunities for improvement, share their thought processes, and prepare presentations demonstrating unique ways to improve the environment and/or processes within. Students may participate individually or within a team. Best of all, there is no fee to enter.

Finalists will be announced in September, with a special awards ceremony taking place at the annual HCD.11 conference in Nashville in November. Winners will receive complimentary conference registrations, along with a stipend to defray air and hotel accommodations, and coverage right here in the pages of HEALTHCARE DESIGN.

To be added to our mailing list for updates on the competition, please contact Donna Paglia at 216.373.1210 or e-mail dpaglia@vendomegrp.com. For information, application forms, and complete details, visit healthcaredesignmagazine.com/students. Applications are due no later than February 28, with submission materials due on May 13.

In addition to student participation, we are actively looking for established healthcare design architects and designers to serve in an advisory role to the student designers. This is your chance as healthcare design professionals to truly make an impact on the next generation of architects and designers, with a hands-on experience that is sure to be rewarding for all involved. If you are interested in participating, please contact Phyllis Goetz at pgoetz@steelcase.com for details.

I hope that many of our readers will feel the urge to get involved in this competition, either by serving as an advisor or encouraging students to enter (or entering yourself, if you are a student reading this). This is a fantastic opportunity both for the up-and-comers trying to establish themselves in the field, and for the establishment, who can likely learn some new perspectives from the younger set-and of course, we all win because HEALTHCARE DESIGN will be presenting the finalists and winner here in the pages of the magazine.

Again, applications are due on February 28, so please hurry and register your interest! HCD

Healthcare Design 2011 February;11(2):6