THE REAL PLAY CITY CHALLENGE 2022: LOCAL COMMUNITIES, GLOBAL CHALLENGES

The Real Play City Challenge was started in 2020 by the Real Play Coalition or RPC (Ingka Group [IKEA], The LEGO Foundation, National Geographic, UNICEF & Arup) and PlacemakingX (STIPO, Huasipichanga), with the aim to reclaim places to play in cities.

This year, the Real Play City Challenge is looking for cities and urban practitioners to apply and share how their playful placemaking is helping local communities overcome global challenges.

THE CATEGORIES FOR THIS YEAR’S CHALLENGE

The aim of the Real Play City Challenge 2022 is to help cities overcome the most pressing global challenges through local playful placemaking, focusing on three urgent themes:

PLACES WHERE PLAY HEALS PEOPLE

PLACES WHERE PLAY SUPPORTS CLIMATE ACTION 

PLACES WHERE PLAY UNITES US ALL

WHO CAN JOIN?

This year we are welcoming applications from two categories:​

Cities: Local governments and municipalities through city decision-makers, mayors, public servants, local authorities, and public city-wide organisations.

Urban Practitioners: Organizations and individuals working in the urban arena such as urban planners, designers, architects, developers, public space activists, social innovators, schools, sociologists, artists, cultural managers, community organisations, and any citizens that have implemented a playful placemaking initiative. 

HOW WILL THE COMPETITION WORK?

The submitted initiatives will be evaluated by a jury panel who will take into account a balanced selection of proposals with a diverse range of impact, stakeholders, location, scale and contexts. 

The Real Play City Challenge will award two winners for each theme. One winning initiative will be initiated by cities and one initiated by urban practitioners.

This will give us 6 winners in total.

Special mentions will be granted to projects that can still be an inspiration to others.

The shortlist of nominated initiatives will be made public at the Placemaking Week Europe in Pontevedra.

Winning initiatives will be those that have successfully used playful placemaking to help local communities address global challenges.  The jury will be paying close attention to those initiatives, which

• show new and innovative ways of combining these global challenges with play in the public realm, 
• have succeeded in creating sustainable ownership in the local community
• are also mindful and have impact on the other two topics
• have high impact and are easily replicable in other cities around the world
• can help to extend the evidence of play

IS MY INITIATIVE ELIGIBLE?

In order to apply, your initiative needs to meet all of the following conditions: 

• It is initiated by a city or an urban practitioner. 
• It uses placemaking to create environments in a public space that give people time, space and opportunities to play. 
• It is embedded in at least one of the three themes of the Real Play City Challenge 2022 Edition.

WHY SHOULD I TAKE PART?

The Real Play City Challenge 2022 judging panel will select the most inspiring cases of local communities using play to address global challenges. As a winners in each category you will have the opportunity to: 

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• Take part in workshops with experts from the RPC Member organisations to accelerate or scale up your project (Arup, IKEA, The LEGO Foundation, National Geographic, UNICEF and PlacemakingX)
• Present your project to a global audience in activities linked to the Real Play Coalition and PlacemakingX;
• Publish your work and receive wide visibility through our partners’ dissemination channels;
• Have your project featured as a case study on our website to inspire other local actors;
• Become part of a global network of thought leaders to establish new partnerships and join forces to advocate for play.

IMPORTANT DATES

29 JUNE 2022 / Launch of the Challenge at the World Urban Forum 2022

JULY-AUGUST 2022 / Informative webinars - Check our website

08 AUGUST 2022 / Q&A - Deadline to submit questions

25 AUGUST 2022 / Q&A - Responses to questions published

04 SEPT 2022  / Deadline for submissions

29 SEPT 2022 / Finalists’ shortlist - Placemaking Week Europe

NOV 2022 / Winners public announcement

DEC 2022 / Online sessions for winning Cities and Urban Practitioners

Inspire us and the jury with one-minute video!

NOTE: We will NOT be evaluating the quality of video production. This is only to understand more about the initiative and showcase how it has made an impact to help people or communities solve global challenges. Videos can be shot on any recording device, including a camera phone. You can talk about the initiative, and/or include testimonials, pictures and videos of your initiative.

The video should be uploaded along with the application form.

*Please note that if you are representing a city, in the form you will be asked to upload a letter from the municipality in the provided template authorizing the submission of the proposal and certifying the applicants position/role.

Fill in the Application Form!

NOTE: You can download a copy of this form as a PDF to prepare your answers in advance. You can then copy the answers into the Application form when you are ready to submit. Applications must be submitted in English.
Download the PDF of the Application Form

To access the original call for applications please visit Real Play City Challenge

Apply | Real Play City (realplaycitychallenge.org)

To apply please complete this form:

Real Play City Challenge 2022 - 2nd Edition Application Form (google.com)