What is Swachh Toycathon 2022 ?
India has a centuries old legacy of artisanal games and toys. However, today the games and toys industry needs to be re-evaluated through a modern and climate-conscious lens.
Swachh Toycathon is a competition being undertaken by Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-u 2.0) with the aim of ‘Rethinking Indian toy industry’
The national competition for individuals from all ages as well as groups and start-ups, aims to bring forth innovation and circularity in design and packaging of games and toys. The competition seeks entries of designs of toys and play-zones using waste and recycled material, prototypes of eco-friendly toys and packaging, and other innovative ideas rethinking the toy industry.
Timeline of Swachh Toycathon 2022
| SN | Detail | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launch of Swachh Toycathon 2022 | 26th Sept 2022 |
| 2 | Portal open for Applications | 26th Sept – 11th Nov 2022 |
| 3 | Shortlisting of Applications | 25th Nov 2022 |
| 4 | Evaluation of shortlisted entries by Core team members | Dec 2022 |
| 5 | Exhibition and Awards |
Mode of Application Swachh Toycathon 2022
Applicants can apply through https://innovateindia.mygov.in/swachh-toycathon/ after the launch of competition on 26th Sept 2022. The portal will remain open for registration and application till 11th November 2022.
Applicants can submit one entry each in all the three themes.
Participant Categories of Swachh Toycathon 2022
| SN | Category | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Individuals | Juniors: Age <18 yrs |
| Seniors: Age >18 yrs | ||
| 2 | Groups | Group of 2-5 individuals from any age group. |
Eligibility for Participants
- This is for Indian nationals who are residing in India.
- Participant of any age group can participate.
Themes and Problem Statements
| THEME 1 | FUN & LEARN |
|---|---|
| CHALLENGE | Seek ideas for design and early proto type of toys from waste at home/workplace and surroundings. |
| CONTEXT | To unleash the inner creative potential by critical, spatial thinking, kinesthetic and modeling skills by sharing ideas, constructing models, and using ideas to imagine a new and novel toy. Transforming waste material to toys for children can be a tool for learning and enjoyment simultaneously. |
| THEME 2 | USE & ENJOY |
|---|---|
| CHALLENGE | Seek ideas for design and models of games and play-zones in park/open spaces utilizing waste/recycled material. |
| CONTEXT | To transform waste/unused/recycled material into interactive play-zones. To create spaces for people to unite, engage in physical activity, interact with others and with nature. Parks can be a centre of fun and exciting activities like creative workshops, treasure hunt, having a picnic with upcycled furniture, hosting a photo contest with upcycled artefacts as backdrop, swings of different kinds from old textile and furniture, jump rope from textile and coconut waste, an obstacle Course, finding one’s way through a maze. |
| THEME 3 | NEW from OLD |
|---|---|
| CHALLENGE | Seek ideas/Solutions/Working models for a sustainable and climate conscious Toy value chain like innovative material choices, packaging design, and reuse-reshare models. |
| CONTEXT | To encourage circularity in toy industry- Circular systems employ reuse, sharing, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing and recycling to create a system that keeps materials in perpetual circulation closed-loop system. It’s time for transition from a linear ‘take-make-waste’ mindset to a multi lifecycle circular approach. Industrial ecology encourages inter organizational cooperation based on the reclamation of waste materials, exchanging materials and energy, inspired by the circular functioning of natural ecosystem. |
Assessment Criteria
| SN | Criteria | Particulars |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novelty of Idea | Fun factorValue to the userCreativeness |
| 2 | Design of the Toy / Game / Play item | Value to traditional Indian Toys themes and designsUsabilityStructural IntegrityAesthetics |
| 3 | Safety | Suitability for Young childrenMaterial Properties |
| 4 | Usage of Waste Material | What percentage of the raw materials used in toys was derived from waste or recycled materials?Whether the material used is a commonly found waste item |
| 5 | Scalability and Replicability | Can this model be replicated in other contexts?Can the concept be scaled to commercial manufacturing of toys |
| 6 | Future Waste, climate, and social implications | Packaging Material requiredAvailability of raw material in geographic proximityEmissions from manufacturing process |
Rewards
Awards and way forward for the winners of Swachh Toycathon 2022
Top Three entries from each category and theme will be certified at the National Level.
Facilitation of Creative Learning Workshop at IIT Gandhinagar
- Incubation Support (IIT Kanpur) to awarded Start-Ups
- Linkages with Urban Local Bodies for awarded Play-zone designs
- Linkages with Toy Industry for Scaling up awarded toy designs
Toy Safety Advisory for Swachh Toycathon
What waste should not be used?
Diapers, napkins, mosquito repellents, cleaning agents, chemicals, toxic containers sharp edge materials, tools with sharp edges, medical waste like syringes, used bandages etc
| Dos | Don’ts |
|---|---|
| Make sure all toys to be used by children and adults are clean and free from sharp edges. Food containers, such as milk or egg cartons, should be thoroughly washed and dried.Parents ensure that children do not have access to hazardous items/material.Use Washable recycled fabricChoose paints, crayons, markers and other art materials that say “non-toxic.”Edges on joining parts of components should be blunt.Arrows used by children should have soft tips made out of cork or rubber.Take care while using magnets, small marbles, metal ballsToys which are powered by battery or electricity to be made with precautions and under supervision of an elder or expert. | Do not use meat containers.avoid using toilet paper rolls.Avoid toys made from fragile materials such as glass and ceramics.Avoid old wooden objects with chipped paint and rough surface.Toys should not have sharp points or edges that can hurt a small child.Avoid toys that make sudden loud noisesAvoid using long metal wires, cords or strings which can be harmful.Avoid toys that can fire things not made for use in the toy, such as pencils or nailsDo not use flammable liquids |
| Parental supervision to be provided for children younger than 9 years old participating in the competition! |
Terms and Conditions
Submission of Solutions
- Incomplete applications will not be considered.
- All entries obtained through unauthorized sources, or which are incomplete, illegible, altered, reproduced, forged, irregular, or fraudulent in any way or otherwise are automatically void.
- The decision of MoHUA in relation to problems posed is final and binding.
- The Participants shall preserve the confidentiality of all communication & information and shall not use the same for any other purpose whatsoever.
- It is strongly advised not to wait until the deadline for the submission of entries. MoHUA shall not be responsible for non-receipt of entries on account of server errors/ traffic.
- For submitting videos – Upload video on any social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or YouTube and share the publicly accessible link
For further information related to the challenge, please write to [email protected]
