The Cumulus Green 2026: Learn to Design | Design to Learn competition invites students from all Cumulus member institutions to consider submissions that advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Goals (SDGs).
For the 2026 edition, Cumulus is choosing to bring the talent and creativity of its global community to focus on SDG4: Quality Education.
Under the umbrella of “Quality Education”, SDG 4 aims not only to ensure inclusive and equitable access to learning opportunities and promote lifelong learning for all. The 2026 edition invites students to take a proactive role in using the power of design to reimagine how we learn, teach, and share knowledge, creating innovative ideas for accessible, inclusive, and transformative education.
The competition recognizes the global education challenge, emphasizing the need for creative contributions from the art and design community to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality learning opportunities for all, and to meet the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. We keep in mind that societal progress depends on meaningful access to education and the development of knowledge and skills for individuals and communities.
Challenges that may matter with SDG4
Dealing with educational challenges such as, and much more than those listed here:
– Access to education
– Educational inequality
– Early school leaving
– Digital divice
– Literacy and numeracy gaps
– Inclusive education for diverse learners
– Student and teacher well-being
– Motivation and engagement in learning
– Lifelong learning opportunities
– Skills for employment and entrepreneurship
– Migration and intercultural education
– Discrimination and equal opportunities in education
– Learning during crises and disruptions
– Remote and hybrid learning environments
– Educational technology and digital tools
– Information access and knowledge sharing
– Data literacy and critical thinking
– Rising costs of education
– Policy and regulatory changes in education
– Teacher shortages and professional development
– External social and economic disruptions impacting education
”We believe that students have a unique perspective on these questions. As learners and emerging creative professionals, you experience educational systems firsthand while developing the skills to question and reshape them. Cumulus Green 2026 is an opportunity to turn these perspectives into ideas, projects, and proposals that challenge existing approaches and explore new possibilities for education.”
Competition chairs Natacha Lallemand and Angela Giambattista,
Categories
Cumulus Green 2026 wants to encourage innovative solutions that relate to one or more of the following 3 categories:
– Products
– Systems
– Services.
Eligibility
The competition is open to students from Cumulus member institutions in all disciplines in art, design and media who are pursuing either a Bachelor level or Master level program. Students who are currently enrolled in Cumulus member institutions or students who have graduated in 2025-2026 and/or are graduating in 2026–2027 are eligible to participate.
Awards and Exhibition
Cumulus Green 2026 is a chance for the next generation of committed designers in the Cumulus network to be recognized by all Cumulus members on an international stage. The competition will reward the best work with 3 different categories of prizes as well as with honorary mentions. The prize pool is 6000 EUR.
Detailed information on how to participate as well as the competition materials at cumulusgreen.org.
Early submission deadline: December 10th, 2026.
