WAD 2021 Poster Contest results

For World Accreditation Day 2021: Supporting the Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, IAF and ILAC held a contest to produce the official poster to be used for celebrations. Out of twenty-eight submissions, ten designs were shortlisted, and three were chosen by the IAF/ILAC Joint Working Group Communications as prize winners.

The top prize of 1500 USD went to the team of Irene González, Soledad Pacheco and Denise Díaz, whose design re-imagines the accreditation infrastructure as a colorful tree that supports each Sustainable Development Goal within its branches. Ms. González, Ms. Pacheco and Ms. Díaz remarked: “Our inspiration to create this poster was to show the ability of accreditation and its international system as a robust enabler to support the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and, therefore, to help to change the world.”

Japhet Tolosa-Celis won the second-place prize of 500 USD for her design, which depicts the Earth cradled in the hands of accreditation. Ms. Tolosa-Celis commented: “With my work inclined in promoting the importance of accreditation, my inspiration comes from the realization and understanding of its real value and the desire to make both public and private sectors pursue accreditation and take advantage of its benefits for the common good. More than this, as a young parent, the design resonates my simple hope to see a future generation experiencing a better quality of life.”

The third-place prize of 500 USD was awarded to Laura Uraine for her design featuring the Sustainable Development Goals in a colourful circle. Ms. Uraine remarked: “A circle inspires many themes. In addition to representing the globe/world, it also is continuous/unending. This is how I see any goal; the work is never really done; one must continue to work and strive towards better solutions. A circle also brings people and ideas together. Our yearly World Accreditation Day brings all accreditation bodies together to unite under one common theme.”

WAD 2022 Poster Contest

IAF and ILAC will be holding another poster contest for World Accreditation Day 2022, which will have the theme of Accreditation: Sustainability in Economic Growth and the Environment. As humanity faces increasing challenges due to climate change, environmental degradation and biodiversity loss, societies have become increasingly aware of the importance of viewing economic growth through the lens of sustainability. Meeting the needs of current populations without compromising the wellbeing of future generations is crucial, and standards and accredited conformity assessment can be a valuable tool to help regulators, companies, and consumers require or engage in more environmentally friendly practices. The fight against climate change and the transition to a circular economy, which emphasizes quality, reuse, recycling, remanufacturing and waste management to conserve resources and limit waste, are two of the main themes that IAF and ILAC will explore in 2022.

We welcome all interested parties to submit up to three entries by 22 January by 23:59 UTC, 11 January 2022. The winner for each contest will receive 1,500 USD, while the two-runners up for each contest will receive 500 USD each.

The contest rules and instructions for how to submit entries are available on the IAF website here and the ILAC website here.