A total of ten awards were made this year by the judges, who are the directors of the Institute for Social Inventions. The other winners, in brief, were:
- The Best Pressure Group Social Innovations Award 1995 went to the protest group who paint d-i-y bike lanes. Lambeth Green Party and Reclaim the Streets have covertly painted miles of bike paths at night in London as a protest against the lack of cycle routes in the capital. One of their 'instant' routes in Fulham, painted in 1990, remains to this day. See page 179.
- The Business Social Innovations Award 1995 goes to Martin Edelston and his 'I-Power' in the States, whereby everyone coming to a company meeting is advised 'Come to the meeting with three ideas'. All ideas are rewarded with dollar bills and sweets, and are saluted by a big gong and a hunter's horn. The aim is to stimulate a creative and positive mood at the meeting and to encourage participants to come up with ideas for improving their company. See page 63.
- The Creativity Social Innovations Award 1995 goes to The Bank of New Ideas, new Internet World Wide Web area launched by ex-Muscovite Mikhail N. Epstein of Emory University, Atlanta, USA. He sees it as the electronic equivalent of Plato's Academia, and it grows out of his non-electronic Club of Essayists in Moscow in the early 80s. The Bank of New Ideas is devoted to trans-disciplinary thinking and the creation of new paradigms. See page 196.
- The Transport Social Innovations Award 1995 goes to the Road Traffic Reduction Bill, introduced into parliament by the Plaid Cymru/Green MP Cynog Dafis on April 25th '94 and vigorously campaigned for by Ron Bailey and co at the Green Party. It requires the Secretary of State to draw up a national road traffic reduction plan which would reduce traffic by 5% by 2005. See page 182.
- The Leisure Social Innovations Award 1995 goes to Café Society for their plans, backed by Channel 4 TV's Talking Heads Club, for a nationwide network of discussion cafés. Café and restaurant owners set aside a less busy evening once a month or so, where people can get together and engage in serious discussions. Occasionally there will be more formal dinners with special speakers attending. The first venues include Barnes, Ross-on-Wye, Cambridge and Portsmouth. See page 211.
- The International Social Innovations Award 1995 goes to the Golan Heights Peace Park plan of Robin Twite in Jerusalem, which calls for a fenced-in demilitarised park area on the Golan Heights, policed by a small Israel-Syrian force, with some territory returned to Syria who would have de jure sovereignty over the whole area. Wildlife in the park would be protected. See page 226.
- The Environmental Social Innovations Award 1995 goes to Jaisalmer in Jeopardy, an international campaign created through the initiative and perseverance of Sue Carpenter, to save the beautiful fortress city of Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, whose historic buildings are crumbling. See page 234.
These are the 10th anniversary awards of the Institute for Social Inventions (20 Heber Road, London NW2 6AA, tel 081 208 2853; fax 081 452 6434; e-mail: <rhino@bbcnc.org.uk>; internet: http://www.newciv.org/worldtrans/ISI.html ). Entries and nominations for future awards must arrive by June 1st each year.