San Francisco, CA – 07/10/2017

Bioneers has announced a partnership with the Biomimicry Institute and the Ray C. Anderson Foundation to host the Ray of Hope Prize ™ during its 28th annual conference in October. The Ray of Hope Prize will award $100,000 to one of the six finalist teams in the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge, a global competition of nature-inspired solutions to critical sustainability issues. This will be the second year the Bioneers Conference houses the award ceremony.

“Our vision moving forward is to help seed biomimicry and biomimetic thinking as the default position for design, industry, economy and culture”, said Bioneers Co-Founder and CEO Kenny Ausubel. “The Biomimicry Global Design Challenge doubles down on innovation, providing a business incubation process as well as potential investment capital for the finalists to accelerate market-ready, scalable biomimetic solutions to our greatest challenges. As such, we are honored to be continuing and deepening our partnership with them.”

The 2016 Challenge asked participants to look to nature for solutions to issues in our food system. The competition received 86 entries from 18 different countries. Six of these teams were invited to enter the 2016-17 Biomimicry Accelerator, which helps the groups to advance their solutions beyond the concept phase. This is a year-long project that culminates in the Ray of Hope Prize ceremony. The winner must have not only a functioning prototype but a tested business model and customer validation.

“As a species, we have figured out how to feed ourselves with some predictability, although not as much as the average food shopper might think,” said Biomimicry Institute Executive Director Beth Rattner. “However, unlike every other species, we are doing so inequitably and with immense harm to living systems. Biomimicry offers new ways to think about all aspects of the food system and we are seeing some of those ways come to light in this competition.”

The Bioneers Conference is a gathering where social, environmental and scientific innovators convene to present breakthrough solutions for the world’s most pressing environmental and social challenges. This year’s event will be held on October 20-22 in San Rafael, CA. In addition to the Ray of Hope Prize ceremony, the Bioneers Conference will also offer panels and workshops on how to look into nature to find solutions to the challenges facing society.

“At their core, the Biomimicry Global Design Challenge and the Ray of Hope Prize represent certain values: that nature is a remarkable teacher and that humans are particularly innovative students,” said John Lanier, executive director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation. “Bioneers not only shares these values, but has celebrated them every year for more than 25 years. I couldn’t imagine a better place to honor our amazing Design Challenge teams.”

The Bioneers Conference has passes available for the press. Learn more about how to apply for it at http://conference.bioneers.org/press.

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More about Bioneers

Bioneers is a nonprofit organization that promotes practical and innovative solutions to global environmental and bio-cultural challenges. Through its annual conference, it brings together speakers and presenters to share grounded experience and inspiring stories. The summit is a hub of social and scientific innovators with practical and visionary ideas.

About Biomimicry Institute

The Biomimicry Institute is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that empowers people to seek

nature-inspired solutions for a healthy planet. http://www.biomimicry.org

About Ray C. Anderson Foundation

The Ray C. Anderson Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that seeks to promote a sustainable society by supporting and funding educational and project-based initiatives that advance knowledge and innovation in sustainability. http://www.raycandersonfoundation.org/rayofhopeprize