Until Dec. 21, Design for CHS will host the Build-A-Bench challenge, which will be open to any individual in the Carmel and Indianapolis metro area. Vikas Maturi, Design for CHS co-president, Build-A-Bench challenge judge and junior, said participants are required to submit one to five designs for benches that will be placed at various locations in Carmel. Submissions, Maturi said, must include two JPEG files or two hand drawings of the benches, as well as an optional summary of the design, and can be sent by email to [email protected] or by mail to Janice Mitchener, Design for CHS sponsor.

Maturi said judges will choose one to three benches to be built by the City of Carmel and local engineering or architecture firms. These benches will then be placed for public use in Carmel. In addition, Design for CHS will reward winners with monetary prizes of values up to $500.

Mitchener said club members hope the benches will have a lasting impact on the community.

“The primary purpose of Design for CHS is to benefit the community,” Mitchener said. “(The competition) incorporates both the design and community aspects of the club.”

Mayor Jim Brainard, who will serve as a judge for the Build-A-Bench challenge, said the main focus of the competition is to foster creativity within the Carmel community.

“It’s really great to have contests like this that support creativity and innovation, especially since you get to contribute to the community at the same time,” Brainard said. “We want to encourage not only students but anyone in the community to build on their ideas and bring them to life.”

Maturi said there are many different goals of the competition in addition to encouraging innovation.

“We want to inspire conversation,” Maturi said. “We want to use the benches to encourage conversation that will bring people from different backgrounds, cultures and walks of life together. Our greatest goal is to create connections within the community, and to use design to affect people’s everyday lives and their connections to one another.”