The competition invites designers and creatives to rethink street furniture through public installations in Carrara marble. Applications open until 14 June 2025, award ceremony in September.
Carrara, the thousand-year-old cradle of marble processing, is preparing to celebrate its material excellence with a new international initiative. In fact, the Municipality of Carrara has announced the opening of the call for entries for the first edition of the White Carrara International Prize, a competition open to designers, architects and creative people from all over the world, aimed at rewarding the best urban furnishing projects made with the famous local marble. The call, officially launched in early June 2024, will remain open until 14 June 2025, while the award ceremony will be held in September of the same year.
A prize for rethinking public space
The objective of the White Carrara Award is clear: to stimulate urban regeneration through art and design, enhancing marble as a distinctive element, capable of combining tradition and innovation. ‘We want to encourage new ideas to make our cities more beautiful, functional and sustainable, starting from a material that has represented our identity for centuries,’ said the Mayor of Carrara. The competition is part of a broader strategy to revitalise the territory, focusing on culture, creativity and environmental sustainability.
The proposed installations will have to be designed for public spaces, such as squares, parks, pedestrian areas and meeting places, with the aim of improving the quality of life and promoting social inclusion. The jury, composed of international experts in design, art and architecture, will assess the projects according to criteria of originality, aesthetic impact, functionality, sustainability and integration with the urban context.
A noble material between history and the future
Carrara marble, known the world over for its purity and luminosity, has over the centuries been chosen by artists such as Michelangelo and Canova for their immortal works. Today, thanks to initiatives such as the White Carrara Prize, this material is also a candidate to become the protagonist of contemporary urban design. The challenge launched by the municipality is to find new expressive languages, capable of dialoguing with the needs of 21st century cities: more accessible public spaces, multifunctional furniture, attention to the environment and inclusion.
The proposals may range from benches and seats to fountains, sculptures, lighting elements, children’s games and smart solutions for sustainable mobility. The only constraint is the partial or total use of Carrara marble, which may be combined with other innovative and technological materials.
An opportunity for designers and creative people
The call for entries is aimed at professionals, architecture firms, emerging designers, but also international students and collectives. ‘We are not only looking for big names, but fresh ideas capable of surprising,’ emphasise the organisers. In addition to the prize money, the winners will have the opportunity to see their installation realised in one of Carrara’s public spaces, which will thus become a new landmark for citizens and visitors.
Participation in the White Carrara International Prize not only offers visibility and networking opportunities, but also represents an opportunity to actively contribute to the transformation of urban spaces, making them more liveable, sustainable and open to innovation.
Smart cities and urban design: the challenge of sustainable technology
In the journey towards a smarter, more sustainable city, urban design plays a strategic role. Projects such as those selected for the White Carrara Prize can dialogue with the latest smart city innovations, introducing technological elements that improve the usability of public spaces and the quality of the urban experience.
A concrete example of this trend is the GaraGeeks solar-powered charging stations, smart street furniture solutions produced in Italy with durable and recyclable materials such as stainless steel and multilayer wood. These structures, with a simple and minimalist design, integrate different functions in a single element: the SMART BENCH, for example, is a round bench for four people that offers comfortable seating, recharging for portable devices, public Wi-Fi and two large printed surfaces for sponsoring and advertising local initiatives. A non-negligible advantage is the absence of the need for excavation, thus facilitating installation even in historic or landscape-sensitive areas.
Electric mobility and urban safety: Solar 2.0
Equally innovative is the SOLAR 2.0, an electric bike charging post designed for the urban environment. It is not a simple pole: in a very small footprint, this technological solution offers USB charging, a video surveillance camera, two e-bike sockets and an SOS emergency call button, all without the need for electrical cables or fibre optics. An ideal solution for cities aiming to integrate safety, sustainable mobility and digital services, in the name of ‘plug&play’ technology and reduced environmental impact.
The synergy between noble materials such as Carrara marble and smart solutions such as those proposed by GaraGeeks can represent the future of urban furniture: more beautiful, functional and sustainable public places, capable of telling the story and innovation of the territory. The White Carrara International Prize thus acts as a springboard for a new generation of cities, where tradition and technology meet to improve everyone’s life.
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