This year’s theme, titled “The Design Currency,” encourages young designers to reimagine value beyond money - envisioning future economies built on trust, attention, care, energy, and memory rather than traditional financial systems.

An international jury, led by Berlin’s Futur2 Studio directors Thomas Küber and Andreas Wegner, along with other global design and innovation experts, has shortlisted five finalist ideas from across India. The finalists are :

“Petcoin : The Future of Currency is Alive” by Kuldeep Singh (NID Bengaluru) - A provocative concept that positions care as a new form of wealth and collective well-being.

Attention as Currency for 2050 by Mrinmoy Deka (NID Bengaluru) - An innovative idea that transforms human focus and presence into measurable value.

“NOVACOIN – A Multi-Centered Currency” by Nandini Arora (IIT BHU) – A futuristic exploration of how trust, behaviour, and analytics could merge into decentralized token economies.

“The Dream Era” by Ritwik Kar (IIT Jodhpur) – A poetic concept where dreams themselves become a new form of exchange and connection.

“Wealth Measured in Life, Not Digits” by Preksha Baid (Rishihood University) - A reflective take on turning memories into currency, redefining wealth through lived experiences.

The three winners will be announced during the conference, which will also feature participation from global design leaders representing companies such as Adobe, Canva, JPMorgan Chase and Netflix.

According to Jay Dutta, Founder and Curator of DesignUp, the Futures Challenge “celebrates bold imagination — asking how we might design value itself in a rapidly changing world.”

This recognition highlights how students from NID Bengaluru, IIT BHU, and IIT Jodhpur are contributing to global conversations on design innovation and redefining the very essence of what society deems valuable.