Just days remain in the hunt for a $10,000 planning idea

A $10,000 haul is up for grabs in a hunt for a single inspired idea that will tell Australia why urban and regional planning matters, and entries close this Friday (3 October).

Competition promoter Planning Institute Australia (PIA) has fronted the huge prize to tap into a wellspring of great ideas in the Australian community, with the aim of finding a new way of sharing the ‘Planning Matters’ message.

PIA’s National President Dyan Currie said the Planning Ideas Competition sought out-of-the-box proposals, products or plans that could make an immediate impression on a national audience.

“The enviable way of life we enjoy in Australia is in large part due to good planning, but some people aren’t familiar with the processes that shape how we’ll live in the future,” Ms Currie said.

“This Competition – and the winning idea – will convey the message that planning is the best tool we have for managing urban growth. It’s also essential to securing infrastructure investment and generating economic development that contributes positively to the wellbeing of individuals, communities and the natural and built environments,” Ms Currie said.

The Competition is a part of PIA’s Planning Matters strategy, a program designed to boost the profile and public standing of the planning profession. It has asked people from all across Australia to come up with an idea – ideally in the form of a product or a detailed proposal – that will capture the nation’s imagination and build awareness of the important role planning plays in our society.

Many exciting ideas have already landed at the Competition website www.planningmatters.com.au.

“We’re open to any ideas that will help the Planning Matters message cut through, but the easier you can make your idea for us to use the better chance it will have at the prize. Preferably the idea will be tangible and ‘shovel-ready’.

“This is a significant prize that really could boost a planning career while helping the nation plan for a better future.” A national judging panel to select the winner will be assembled in September, and the winner will be announced on 7 November in celebration of World Town Planning Day on 8 November. The cash prize has been generously provided by the Planning Education Foundation.
George Inglis, PIA Strategic Communications