A week from now a design competition will come to a close. Unlike most social impact design contests, this model is all about gathering the best design ideas from the developing world so as to help the developed world. Simple idea, but a powerful concept.

Interaction Designer Carolina Vallejo, a native of Bogotá, Colombia, first thought of this competition idea as a design student at NYU. When asked to create a “social design” project for the developing world in one week and without any context, she was extremely put off. She thought, “Why would you assume you can design something to solve a problem for the so called Third World – a world you don’t know – in a week?”

In response to the assignment, Vallejo decided to create the first ever 2010 International Year of the First World in Need. Her intention: to break down the assumption that the people of developing world have nothing substantive to give. In doing so, she hoped to help others recognize and value cultural diversity, to expand the decision-making playing field and to grant agency. She wanted to give others, those who are more often than not the audience, a voice.

Design for the First World Competition (Dx1W) is “a competition for designers, artists, scientists, makers and thinkers in developing countries to provide solutions for First World problems.” Participants are currently submitting ideas to redesign the future of the First World. Dx1W has identified four main areas to address:

1) Food Production and Eating Disorders (e.g. reducing obesity)
2) Aging population and Low Birth rate (e.g. family planning, access to health care)
3) Immigration and Integration to Society (e.g. integrating the immigrant population)
4) Sustainability and Over consumption (e.g. reducing consumption rate of mass-produced goods)

So, what makes this model so different? For decades, the flow of presumed innovation has traveled from the developed world to the developing world – from the so-called First World to the Third World. Critique of such solutions (those which are dropped in from the outside) – from parachute design to systems of international aid – is not new. For as long as there’s been an international development industry, there have been critiques like Barbara Harrell-Bond and David Rieff.

Speaking as a developing world citizen now living in the developed world, Vallejo laments, “We’ve created a culture that relies on aid and we (and them) often discard our responsibility in improving our present conditions and shaping a better future.” The future of the world is for all of us to help build. In creating this competition, Vallejo is not insisting that well-intentioned efforts in the developing world cease – there are many very important endeavors currently underway to help solve the needs of communities the world over. She is simply asking that we try to break down the traditional, pervasive “Us vs. Them” paradigm in the aid and design work focused on the developing world.

A $1,000 prize is attached to the winning idea, which is “intended to support designers whose entries reflect systems thinking, sustainability, accessibility, materials exploration, technology, and cultural relevance.”

It’s a fascinating contest that is sure to get people talking. Ultimately, though, it’s worth asking what the ultimate purpose is. Is the contest meant to simply get people thinking differently, or is it actually meant to enable the creation of interesting new ideas? And if it’s the latter, does this contest suffer from the same presumptions about how one group of people can know what would be good for another?

Regardless, we’re excited to see how this contest plays out. It’ll particularly informative for design firms like Catapult, who are working in this space.

Do you think the Rest has something to teach the West? If so, there’s still one week to get involved. Submit your ideas by the contest deadline: July 1, 2010 11:59 pm EST. To be eligible, you must be at least 13 years of age and a legal resident of a developing nation. For more information, visit the contest site: www.designforthefirstworld.com.