Platform BLUE, an initiative by WaterAid Bangladesh, hosted the much-anticipated jury and award-giving ceremony of the “Toilets on the Go” mobile toilet design competition supported by the Embassy of Sweden on Friday at a hotel in Dhaka.
The event marked a significant milestone in empowering young innovators to develop innovative, inclusive and cost-efficient mobile toilet designs.
Launched as a nation-wide call for ideas, the competition received an overwhelming 40 submissions from aspiring students, designers and youth professionals. After a rigorous screening process, 12 outstanding individuals and teams were shortlisted to present their concepts before a distinguished jury board.
Their designs ranged from low-cost modular toilets to fully mobile sanitation units aimed at improving hygiene access in densely populated or underserved areas.
Throughout the day, participants moved through two rounds of design pitches in front of the jurors. Md Mostafizur Raman from Embassy of Sweden; Md Tahmidul Islam from WaterAid, Farhana Rashid from Bhumijo and Mazedur Rahman Masum from Amar Source evaluated all the teams of this final round of the competition.
The award ceremony was graced by Hasin Jahan, the Country Director of WaterAid Bangladesh. She said, “Participants in this event should not view it merely as a competition. Rather, these remarkable innovations will be recognized as meaningful contributions to the development sector.”
She congratulated the winners of the competition and expressed her sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone involved in the arrangements, including Dhaka City Corporation, partner organizations, and all individuals who contributed.
Four designer individuals or teams were ultimately selected for their innovative, impactful, and scalable solutions. Md. Ahnav Shahriar Tanim, Mahmudul Hasan Mahmud, Md. Nafiz Fuad, and Dhiraj Roy from Team BU; Sumon Paul, Yasir Afiyat Rafi, Noiret Chakma, Md. Raihanul Hai, and Mekhi Datta from Potro Design Studio; Zannatul Fardous, Lamiya Fariha, and Mahmuda Haque Moon from Team Shoktikonnya; and Tunisha Kurl and Fiha Binte Hafiz from Tollet in the Loop received winners’ recognition.
Each winner team received a prize of TK 1,00,000 in recognition of their achievements. All winning designers retain full intellectual property rights to their creations, including copyright and design rights, as well as the option to apply for patents where applicable.
WaterAid representatives also confirmed that viable designs will be considered for future expansion under the BLUE platform.