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Episode 10: What Makes a Winning Project? Ana Jeinić on the SozialMarie Jury
77 Plays4 months ago
Welcome to Episode 10 of the Why Why Why? podcast, brought to you by SozialMarie! Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes when selecting the winners of a prestigious social innovation award? In this episode, we’re giving you a rare peek inside the SozialMarie jury process with Ana Jeinić, an architectural theorist, researcher, and juror representing Croatia. She shares what makes an application stand out, how the jury debates and evaluates projects, and why this process isn’t just about picking winners—it’s also a transformative experience for the jury members themselves.
Ana Jeinić is an architectural thinker and curator who explores how space, cities, and design shape our world. With a background in architecture and philosophy, she has worked as a professor, researcher, and curator, leading projects that challenge how we imagine the future of architecture and urban planning. She has written extensively on topics like infrastructure, environmental philosophy, and speculative design. From organizing international projects to experimenting with utopian city concepts, Ana is deeply engaged in rethinking the role of architecture in our lives. Since 2023, she has been leading an artistic research project at Graz University of Technology.
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Transcript
Introduction to YYY Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey there, curious minds. Welcome to the YYY podcast brought to you by Social Marie. I'm Bea, your enthusiastic guide on this thrilling journey of searching for the best social innovations in Central Europe.
00:00:11
Speaker
Today we are going to spill some tea. Ever wondered who are the people playing crucial role in selecting projects that are awarded Social Marie Award? Well, stick around, because Jose is about to let you peek behind the scenes and unravel the remarkable work of Anna, our juror from Croatia.
00:00:26
Speaker
Get yourself a cup of something you like, tea or coffee or choice. We are going to be back in a minute.
00:00:43
Speaker
If you ever dream to win an award at Sotel Marie, you need to get in the mind of the juries.
Role of a Social Marie Juror
00:00:54
Speaker
And today you are going to hear by Anna Janic.
00:00:58
Speaker
She is amazing and she has a very clear way of explaining how is the process they go through to evaluate ah the winners for the Sotel Marie award.
00:01:14
Speaker
Get a paper, a pen and take notes. Here is Ana.
Speculative Design and Utopianism
00:01:20
Speaker
Hello, ah my name is Ana. I am ah in Socialmari representing Croatia in the Jiri team.
00:01:30
Speaker
I'm an architect. ah However, um since finishing my studies, I have been working mostly at universities as a researcher. We work something I also do at the moment.
00:01:44
Speaker
um And my connection to social innovation is through ah my research on, but also practice in the field of the so-called speculative design and um something I call collective utopianism.
00:02:05
Speaker
Collective utopianism. Anna, you will have to tell me more about that. These are attempts to create future visions, future prospects ah that question the present or the features of ah and of given social system, but doing it ah collectively. So including as many people as possible.
00:02:33
Speaker
And so it's apart from that future-oriented part, it, in my opinion, has to start with the ah the analysis, the critical analysis of the present condition.
00:02:50
Speaker
And ah in order to achieve this, I have also organized so-called utopian schools where some kind of systemic knowledge about the present condition of a specific location, specific cities has been
Impact of Utopian Scenarios
00:03:10
Speaker
produced. And then starting from that kind of collectively produced knowledge ah about the present condition, um i have also tried to design a process of speculating about the future in a coordinated manner.
00:03:32
Speaker
Wow, that sounds amazing to me. And I'm curious about the impact. What happens when the persons ah listen to these scenarios of ah utopian futures?
00:03:47
Speaker
Do they manage to do something about it? Is there some impact? It is not as straightforward as it as it is with what in the framework of Soziale Marie we consider social innovation, which has to be implemented immediately. So utopian projects and prospects cannot be realized immediately.
00:04:12
Speaker
They mostly, at least the ones ah I have been ah working on, also do not have this sort of aspiration to have, but rather to serve as some form of a horizon to give us ah knowledge about how things could possibly be organized in a different way.
00:04:33
Speaker
and to think it systemically. So ah this then has an impact, ah I hope at least, on how we act in the present when we have such a horizon um in front of us.
00:04:47
Speaker
Anna, which other activities are capturing your attention right now? I'm currently um and doing a project about the the northern part of the Adriatic Sea where together with my colleagues and many um external collaborators, ah artists, experts, ah workers in different maritime industry, we are trying to ah produce some common popular knowledge transnational and transdisciplinary about the northern part of the Adriatic
Social Marie Jury Process
00:05:27
Speaker
Sea.
00:05:27
Speaker
You also mentioned ah that you are a jury ah for Sotelmary from Croatia. Can you tell us what is that? I mean, what is the the the job of a jury for Sotelmary?
00:05:42
Speaker
It is important to say right from the start that the fact that I ah represent Croatia this jury team ah does not mean that I support projects coming from Croatia more than others.
00:05:59
Speaker
We have in the jury one member from each of the countries in which Sozialmarie is present, so from all countries from which you can apply with your project, there is one representative in the jury team.
00:06:16
Speaker
But so we in the jury, we actually ah become a list of projects that have been selected by the so-called national evaluators.
00:06:28
Speaker
So there is already a pre-selection. It wouldn't be possible otherwise because ah ah we receive, or Sozialmarie receives every year hundreds of hundreds of projects.
00:06:42
Speaker
So unfortunately, ah we cannot ah go through all of them. We work with this pre-selection organization. and then we consider each dream and ah jury members looks at all the projects that have been pre-selected by all national evaluators.
00:07:04
Speaker
and the evaluates them, giving some notes that we have. but that There is a Scala with which we work for different aspects of innovation.
00:07:17
Speaker
Then we meet two times each year. ah We have the long jury meetings, each of them taking more or less one whole day, ah where then we discuss the projects that we have selected for the prize.
00:07:36
Speaker
And we really try to accept of those projects where all of us really agree in the evaluation, um all others, we discuss each project separately.
00:07:53
Speaker
I would love to be a fly and check what happens on those meetings, which kind of discussions happen there. Could you tell us more about how the process is, how those meetings go?
00:08:05
Speaker
There might be a lot of ah tension or maybe um passionate discussions, I can imagine. Yes, we you know that in this final part of the procedure, we select 15 prizes, three main prizes and nominations.
00:08:29
Speaker
So we mostly start with the projects that so are the rather in the lower part of this list because there it is important to to see which really should be nominated and which not.
Deliberation and Evaluation
00:08:51
Speaker
And there are differences, of course, in that respect between us.
00:08:57
Speaker
um And then we go further towards the top prizes. We ah regarding, for example, the first 15 prizes. If we agree which projects are in that pool, we will then not discuss which one of them is necessarily slightly better than the other. These considerations are not so important because all of them become the same prize.
00:09:28
Speaker
So most discussions are in these um liminal zones between projects that ga awards or not, ah or between those ah that to get the ah three ah first prices.
00:09:45
Speaker
And there are, yet as ah as you um have suggested, there are many differences ah because the social innovation ah is innovation that kind of ah strives to improve certain aspects of ah social life, of society.
00:10:07
Speaker
And obviously, value judgments ah are necessary for evaluating such aspirations, ah because we have, as jury members, we must have some picture of what a good society is.
00:10:24
Speaker
And the these ah differences in value systems and ideological background ah of each of us definitely play a role. But so what i have to say ah is that to we really always keep respect, no matter the differences.
00:10:49
Speaker
We treat each other with respect. ah These discussions are really comfortable. although they can last very long sometimes. And i think we all profit a lot from them because we learn to see these projects from different angles.
00:11:09
Speaker
And I think we also change in the whole procedure, which is for me the most beautiful part of the process. So ah this kind of diversity of opinions and backgrounds for the ah different jurists are playing a role, right? Because I guess at at the end, everything gets balanced just by but this system of diversity.
00:11:31
Speaker
Yes. Right. Okay. so what is So there's a specific criteria for evaluating the projects, I guess. So there there might be part that is opinion-based or values-based, as you mentioned before, but there's also a process of of how to make these evaluations.
00:11:54
Speaker
Can you tell us a bit about that? Yes. In order to make it a little bit more objective, or if not objective, then at least transparent and clear, ah we have divided the aspect ah the the social innovation that ah these projects have in different different aspects.
00:12:18
Speaker
So one of them is the innovation in implementation of the project or then the innovation in the treatment of the social group, which the project addresses and so on.
00:12:35
Speaker
So we are trying to keep these things working. separate as much as they can in order to foster a more analytical analytical approach. And the that's how ah we also evaluate the projects from from the very start.
00:12:55
Speaker
So for each of these different aspects of innovation, we ah give a certain ah mark that each of us um suggests. And then, yes, we discuss projects for project according to that criteria.
00:13:13
Speaker
If you have to stand in front of every new applicant in the for the future, what would you have to tell them? what What do they need to think about when they are creating their applications?
00:13:25
Speaker
um Well, one very general advice is to just invest enough time. in writing the application and enough um enough resources, ah particularly considering the the quality of the language.
00:13:47
Speaker
I know that so many of the smaller organizations in particular that apply simply do not have as many as much resources as bigger organizations do.
00:14:00
Speaker
ah They don't have time or ah to engage, to to take a whole day or two or three in writing such an application.
00:14:11
Speaker
or they don't have anyone in the organization whose English is at this level of the kind of writing a professional application. But I would say today with artificial intelligence that can help ah with all these programs for translation, i think even without this knowledge that the everyone can bring this application to certain level of knowledge,
00:14:41
Speaker
clarity and thats so that really matters ah for us because it is a sign of ah dedication. and When I say this, I don't mean this kind of professional style of a project ah writing that some bigger organizations um mostly ah apply and on their application texts.
00:15:10
Speaker
It can be really simple language. We sometimes even prefer that. But so I think you can see when you read something how much effort someone has dedicated to it.
00:15:25
Speaker
And this is what ah really matters. Okay. And in terms of ah the focus, so, I mean, I know that the ah the form for applications is very well structured, but is there something that ah the applicants should pay more attention than normal?
00:15:43
Speaker
It's difficult to say. I would suggest to avoid repetitions.
00:15:51
Speaker
What you say in one part of the application, not to ah repeat it later. And to really explain why you think your project is innovative.
00:16:03
Speaker
Innovation. That's that word that everybody has a different um definition for. ah I would like to know what is the definition of innovation for Social
Defining Social Innovation
00:16:16
Speaker
Marie.
00:16:16
Speaker
Okay. um Social Marie is a prize for social innovation, ah which means that it is not enough for people ah kind of a good a rating of a project to be innovative in merely technical terms, but that it really must involve this the social aspect, which means and know there are different levels of social innovation and some of them really manage to propose
00:16:58
Speaker
things that have the potential of changing something deeply in the functional mechanisms of site society as a whole.
00:17:09
Speaker
That's very rare, but we do get this kind of projects from time to time. but to the majority ah so So this is something that can be considered a systemic innovation or at least and something that has a potential of systemic innovation, which maybe is the highest,
00:17:28
Speaker
level of innovation, but which does not mean that these projects are necessarily better that operate at that level. And then we have the the majority of projects that to introduce innovative approaches, something that is like really new or at least new in a particular local context in which they operate in ah their approach to specific social groups and social problems associated with these groups, problems that these groups have in the society.
00:18:09
Speaker
So innovation then is ah more focused on the impact and the potential of impacting society. It is not only about how original the idea is or how ah new ah the methodologies that there the the the the venture tries to ah implement.
00:18:31
Speaker
I would say it is both. ah Both implementation and the idea, but the idea itself must have this social shall focus and be innovative in that social dimension. So to give you an example, of if we get projects that are innovative as a kind of medical inventions or and technological inventions.
00:19:02
Speaker
It is not enough that they are inventive in this specific technical field, even though i mean all medical inventions have social effects.
00:19:14
Speaker
All technological inventions also have social effects, but this is not enough to consider them social innovation because social innovation really must consider that social aspect from the very beginning.
00:19:30
Speaker
and be new in that sense. So yes, I think originality definitely matters. But ah first of all, it is always contextual.
00:19:42
Speaker
So we look at how original, let's say, something is in a specific context in which this idea emerges. yeah And ah we also look at the the process of implementation, how the how far the projects are in that respect, because Sociale Marie it is not prize for utopian projects. So this is an important difference, I would say, to my work, apart from this ah or beyond this jury.
00:20:20
Speaker
For Sociale Marie, this aspect of implementation um ah really matters, which does not mean that all aspects of a project idea must have already been realized at the moment when um applicants submit their applications, but at least kind of um a major part of it or something that proves that a project is really important
00:20:52
Speaker
applicable, that ah it is realistic. You know that that ah when we began here in Slovenia, I remember getting questions from potential ventures that wanted to submit their applications.
00:21:09
Speaker
They were feeling insecure because they were in the market, but recently. right So they had, I don't know, one or two years of in the market, and they would see their results are still pretty shy.
00:21:23
Speaker
yes And they were telling me which kind of opportunity do we have? Should we apply or not? Because there might be other initiatives that have much more ah experience and time. right So how is it for them?
00:21:35
Speaker
Should they apply? ah This is really a difficult question so because as I've told you, it is always ah balance between an innovative idea innovation.
00:21:52
Speaker
this aspect of implementation. And if the idea is like extremely good, or it is difficult to say, of course, what is extremely good, but let's say if the majority of jury members agree upon that, that the idea is great, ah then the project will have better chances. But at the same time,
00:22:17
Speaker
at least some level of implementation that has already that happened and can be observed in order to um assess the social impact of something and not only to speculate about potential future impact.
00:22:37
Speaker
um That's definitely needed. But the question is how far the project should be already in that implementation process. And ah this is unfortunately something I cannot tell you like yes or no.
Advice for Applicants
00:22:54
Speaker
But ah if the the same if these same organizations plan to develop these projects further, i think in that case, it is better to apply it later.
00:23:06
Speaker
Not this, but the next year. I hope that SocialMari will remain for many years. So they won't definitely have better chances than... Although on the other hand, organ same organizations and same people can apply more than one time. So that's also an option.
00:23:28
Speaker
Okay, so that means it is good if if there's a young ah initiative that wants to apply, it is better for them if they have concrete results to show and and and actually if they write and explain clearly in ah us as us best as they can what they are doing. They have more chances, right?
00:23:51
Speaker
Yes, oh yes. Because I guess that a more experienced organization that writes a bad application, although they have good results, that they don't know how to express them, they will have also less possibilities of ah getting awarded.
00:24:05
Speaker
Yes, yes. And also another advice concerns the language, but from a slightly different angle from what I've previously said.
00:24:18
Speaker
um We in the jury are of different backgrounds. ah Not only that we come from different countries, but so we have different educational background.
00:24:31
Speaker
And not all of us, or i would say only ah small minority, can understand technical language. I cannot either.
00:24:45
Speaker
So it needs to be explained so that non-experts can understand that. and That's a great point. Yes. Super. So any last words that you would like to ah to say, maybe to uplift any any potential applicant for the for the future?
00:25:06
Speaker
um I can say something which is ah definitely my personal perspective. And ah my colleagues from the jury would not necessarily agree with that.
00:25:20
Speaker
what kind of projects I'm personally happy yeah to see. um that The vast majority of the projects that we receive are innovative in terms of innovative, let's say, innovative social works.
00:25:38
Speaker
They address specific, mostly discriminated um social groups and come from this, let's say, classical field of ah ah social work, which I think is also the context in which Socialmeri emerged.
00:25:59
Speaker
um And the we definitely need these projects also, and they are very important for the society. However, I miss a little bit of balance.
00:26:13
Speaker
What I consider ah particularly important but for the society as a whole, are technologies and infrastructures and the way how these affect our lives.
00:26:28
Speaker
And my personal impression is that kind of democratic control over these ah is at a very low level. Things get introduced, new technologies, new infrastructural networks, facilities, and they have an enormous impact on our lives.
00:26:52
Speaker
But that somehow happens without us, when I say us, I mean people, really, the demos, um making decisions about that.
00:27:03
Speaker
And therefore, I would really encourage that these kinds of projects the deal with technologies and infrastructure in a critical manner and try to repurpose them, democratize them, or just simply ah spread awareness about their potential social effects and trigger discussions about that.
00:27:32
Speaker
And the unfortunately, we well we do receive some projects from these fields, ah but not as many as we do from some other aspects of socially socially innovative projects.
Diversity in Decision-Making
00:28:02
Speaker
Jose, you know Ana and our jurors very well. What do you think what makes Ana and our jurors the best fit for judging the applicants for Social Mary Award? Is it their expertise, their attention to detail or passion for a social change?
00:28:17
Speaker
I think that is that they love what they do. And also there's this special aspect of diversity. So the different backgrounds, ah the different origins um build a mix that is just so amazing, right? They love what they do.
00:28:35
Speaker
They defend their opinion and their experiences of life and profession are very much aligned with social innovation. The first jury session of 2025 was held just last week.
00:28:47
Speaker
Quite fresh. Having a chance to judge and decide on fate of so many amazing projects is huge responsibility. Jose, can you imagine being a jury member? What type of projects would you enjoy judging the most?
00:28:58
Speaker
Oh, wow, that was an unexpected question. I can see a very big difference between ah the privilege and the advantage that get the powerful people and the powerful organizations in contrast with the non-powerful people.
00:29:14
Speaker
It looks like our world is not only about who has more money, but who has more power over others. I've seen the justice systems lean towards the powerful instead of the powerless.
00:29:28
Speaker
And that's crazy. I would love to see more initiatives that work on that topic.
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:29:34
Speaker
And that's a wrap for today. I hope you enjoyed our behind the scenes episode.
00:29:39
Speaker
If you have any questions, ideas or topics you would like us to explore, feel free to reach out. You can connect with us on social media or via website. Thanks for tuning in. And remember, keep asking why.
00:29:51
Speaker
Until the next time. Bye.