Together, Tieto, Young Finnish Design, Flow Festival and Inklusiiv set a shared challenge for young designers and jointly launch a concept-level design competition focused on inclusive design. The competition invites designers to identify and address invisible barriers in everyday experiences, using the Flow Festival context as a real-world and inspiring environment for inclusive design exploration.

While accessibility is often understood in physical terms, this competition shifts the focus to invisible barriers — such as social anxiety, sensory or cognitive overload, unclear digital services, cultural norms, or uncertainty about how to navigate the festival environment. By opening its festival context as a case, Flow Festival enables designers to explore how inclusive thinking can improve experiences broadly, without creating separate or “special” solutions.

The winner of the competition will be selected by a jury made up of representatives from the partner organisations. The competition highlights a key principle of inclusive design: solutions created for overlooked perspectives often improve experiences for many. Invisible barriers rarely disappear through complexity — instead, they are addressed through clarity, empathy and thoughtful design choices. The winner will be announced at Flow Festival as part of the Flow Talks program on Saturday, 15 August.

Learn more about the competition and application here. https://www.youngfinnishdesign.com/inclusive-design-competition