Company sponsors global student invention competition exploring the Future of Home
Shaw Industries Group, Inc. (Shaw), a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., is encouraging students to conceptualize the Future of Home through its sponsorship of the 2021 Bright Spark Virtual Invention Challenge.
Shaw is partnering with Bridge Innovate, Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) and the Design Foundation to sponsor the contest, which poses the question: “How might we enable the homes of the future to be smarter and more sustainable to meet the ever-changing needs of families?” Working individually or on a team, students are tasked to identify a real-world need and design a solution, complete with a 90-second pitch video of their invention submitted online and voted on by the public.
“Shaw utilizes principles of Design Thinking to plan for the future needs of flooring and home design to develop smarter, better products and services focused on the well-being of people and the planet,” explains Jay Henry, director of innovation for Shaw. “And, since these students are the future, we thought it would be fun to ask them to imagine how they think homes will actively support the ways we all live, entertain, learn and thrive over the next five years. Shaw is committed to creating a better future with customer-centric products, practices and investments, and hearing from these bright, young minds gives us inspiration on how we might design solutions to better support their futures.”
Registration is free learning and open to students across the globe in grades 4-12 (or equivalent) through Sept. 24, 2021. Video submissions are due in late October and winners will be announced in November.
To register a student or share this information with your local school(s), visit bridgeinnovate.com/invention-challenge.
ABOUT SHAW
Shaw Industries Group, Inc. is more than a flooring company – we are more than 20,000 people united in our vision of creating a better future for our customers, for our people, for our community and for our company. We provide carpet, resilient, hardwood, tile & stone, laminate, synthetic turf and other specialty items for residential and commercial markets worldwide. We meet diverse customer needs through an expansive portfolio of brands, including: Anderson Tuftex, COREtec, Floorigami, Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial, Shaw Contract, Shaw Floors, Shaw Sports Turf, Southwest Greens and more.
Headquartered in Dalton, Georgia, Shaw is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway with $6 billion in annual revenue and representation throughout the U.S., as well as in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, India, Mexico, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. For more information about our company brands, operations and community involvement, or to join our industry-leading team, visit www.shawinc.com.
ABOUT BRIDGE INNOVATE
Bright Spark is an experiential adventure, powered by Bridge Innovate, designed to ignite and build creative confidence for students and educators based on the premise that design thinking is fundamental to creating human-centered change. Fueled by inspiration and relentless in creating bold solutions to complex challenges, designers play a vital role in enriching life’s journey. Learn more about Bright Spark programs and explore our online resources at https://www.bridgeinnovate.com/brightspark.