DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS: March 13th, 2026
COURSE START: Sept 7th or Nov 2nd, 2026
SCHOLARSHIPS AMOUNT
• Scholarships covering from 5.000€ to 8.000€ of the total tuition fee both for the Academic Master’s Programme and the Dual Award Master’s Programme.
INTRO
The world is changing fast: people live longer, cities grow denser, and technologies reshape how we move, connect, and care for one another. Mobility is no longer only about transportation; it influences independence, wellbeing, access to services and social inclusion.
This competition invites applicants to explore how a society with a significantly higher proportion of elderly people will explore and experience the urban landscape, when independence, reduced physical autonomy or cognitive decline might become more prevalent and how design can help imagine a different trajectory from what we consider normal today.
This is not an exercise in sci-fi, nor a request for groundbreaking technological innovation but an invitation to shape society through design. You are asked to think critically and creatively, using imagination to define what moving through the city could mean tomorrow and how everyday life might change as societies age.
BRIEF
Design Futures uses design as a lens to envision new possibilities and, through that, to question the present and inspire change. Imagine future scenarios related to mobility within the “silver economy” (the economic and social ecosystem shaped by aging populations). The task is not to solve today’s problems, but to explore signals of change and emerging trends that suggest how mobility, autonomy, care, and participation might evolve over time.
Create an artifact from an imagined future: an object, system, service, or experience that exists in that scenario. Through this artifact, you should communicate what that future is like, what values it reflects, and what challenges or opportunities it raises. The goal is to demonstrate the ability to observe the present, imagine alternatives, and communicate futures in a clear and compelling way.
APPLY NOW When you submit your project you will receive an immediate confirmation email that your submission was received. If you do not receive a confirmation, let us know at: competitions@domusacademy.it