The bi-annual INDEX:Award is financed by Denmark and receives nominations from China to the United States, from Finland to South Africa, from Singapore to Jordan and supports INDEX:'s mission to generate more Design to Improve Life of higher quality all over the world. Produced and distributed for the Global Universal Design Educator's Network 5Global Universal Design Educator's Online News Volume 10 Number 4, Winter 2010
 
Each of the five winners, announced in August 2009, represents one of the INDEX:Award categories - Body, Home, Work, Play and Community - that together span the spectrum of human activity and are relevant and understandable to people all over the world


The INDEX:Award is the biggest design award in the world, with a total award sum of 500,000 euros, but this grand figure financed by the state of Denmark isn't the only aspect distinguishing the INDEX:Award from most other design Awards.

The INDEX:Award is also the main driver of INDEX:'s mission to generate more Design to Improve Life of higher quality all over the world. The award receives nominations from China to the United States, from Finland to South Africa, from Singapore to Jordan – and from these nominations, the outstanding INDEX: international jury selects the best as finalists, and the very best as winners of the biennial award.

The next INDEX:Award will be presented in 2011. INDEX: will issue the call for nominations in fall 2010.

Here are the winners of INDEX:Award 2009. They show us, how design has the power to be part of the solution to major global challenges like climate changes, pollution, natural disasters, poverty, overconsumption and other important issues.
 

FREEPLAY FETAL HEART RATE MONITOR
Body category
Intent : Safeguard childbirth for mothers and infants in remote areas of the developing world where expert care and electrical power are in short supply.
 
CHULHA
Home category
Intent: limit the dangerous health conditions caused by traditions of indoor cooking in many rural areas of the developing world. The stove is being made available by Philips Design to the universe of social entrepreneurs so that they can, free of charge...

KIVA
Work category
Intent: Bring lenders and small entrepreneurs together to aggregate loans into a major center of person-to-person micro-finance. Kiva executives have set $1 billion from 1 million lenders as their goal.
 
PIG 05049
Play category
Intent: Help people in a highly mechanized and “packaged” world understand how things are made and where they come from so that the resources involved can be cared for by enlightened, informed people.
 
BETTER PLACE
Community category
Intent: Move the automotive industry, drivers and utility sectors past the current dependency on oil by building an electric vehicle infra-structure that makes electric transport convenient and affordable.

STREET SWAGS
People´s Choice Award 2009
Street Swags is a bed and a bag designed to provide more comfort, warmth and protection from weather for people living on the street.