Biochar
2025 Permaculture Design Contest
Submission Period: August 15 thru October 15, 2025
Theme: Biochar Solutions
🔥 Can your Biochar design turn waste into wildfire prevention, clean water, and carbon storage?
🌎 Maybe your Biochar design can filter water, build soil, and tell a story the world needs to hear?
Top Design
Grand Prize
$7500
PINA’s 2025 Design Contest is awarding $7,500 for the most effective and innovative biochar-based solution. We’re not just funding your vision — we’re backing it with institutional support to help you scale and shine. Partner with us to make a continental impact through permaculture!
New Designer
Prize
$2500
PINA’s 2025 Design Contest is awarding $2,500 to a standout new designer in our Beginner Track. Whether your project was solo or collaborative, this is your chance to get recognized — and rewarded. Submit your first design, gain national visibility, and join the movement shaping our future!
Biochar Documentary
Wildfires are intensifying—but there’s a solution. PINA’s Fire Ecology Restoration Project trains crews to heal forests with fire, biochar, and indigenous wisdom. Watch the full documentary now.
Biochar Podcast Episode
Discover how biochar can transform your soil and restore ecosystems with expert Kelpie Wilson. Learn low-tech, practical methods—watch the full video on YouTube and get inspired to take action!
Uses of Biochar Article
Biochar has 50+ uses beyond soil, including water filtration, animal health, building, and textiles. Its structure supports carbon sequestration, nutrient retention, and sustainable, circular system design.
🎁Free Gift for ALL Design Entrants🎁
All entrants to the Permaculture Design Challenge will receive a FREE Premium Membership to the Natural Capital Plant Database for 1 full year, a $50 value that will fully offset your annual PINA membership. Thank you to United Designers International!
Enter the contest and add this valuable tool to your design kit.
Submission Period Opens:
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Help Us Spread the Word
What We Are Looking For: Collaboration & Integrated Designs
We’re looking for highly integrated designs that showcase the power of biochar as part of a broader solution — designs that spark change across multiple sectors in your town, city, village, or bioregion.
Imagine a central piece of urban or rural land, full of potential…
Can your design address land use, fire resilience, water filtration, soil regeneration, local economies, affordable housing, community spaces, and indigenous stewardship — all while incorporating innovative uses of biochar?
Let’s show the world what biochar-based permaculture design can do — not just on the farm, but in our neighborhoods, parks, and rural landscapes.
Let’s bring permaculture into the mainstream — and introduce these solutions to people who have never even heard the word.
How $7500 Dollars Can Become Infinite Capital
How can you use the award money ($7500) to not only purchase needed materials and financial capital expenditures, but also grow other forms of capital? Which forms of captial yield the greatest returns? How can your design and design money be used to tap into the nearly infinite field of the 8 Forms of Capital?
Fully Integrated Permaculture Design for Impact
Can you WOW the general public with the many layers of good design and cultural benefits that your design addresses? How can your fully integrated design address local issues in Eduction, Well-Being, Land Stewardship, Technology, Economics, Buildings, and Community Process?
Have a design that you’re thinking of entering into the contest?
The Design Contest is open to PINA members only so if you’re not a member, why not sign up?
Rates are reasonable. You’re supporting a good cause. And you can win a lot of money to implement your best design ideas!
Past Winners
One way to inspire your winning design is to see some of the past winning designs.
Our past winners have submitted designs that encompass a wide array of permaculture ideas.
Take inspiration from the best.
Contest Rules
Interested in entering the 2025 Permaculture Design Contest? Then check out the full rules to be sure you don’t miss anything.
Submit Your Design
Submit your Permaculture Design for the chance to win up to $7500 in cash prizes and bragging rights as 2025’s Best Permaculture Design.
Key Dates
All the relevant dates from Submission to Voting to the Announcement and more can be found here.
Support The Design Contest and Help Fund Amazing Permaculture Projects!
Every little bit counts…
We have secured matching donatations, so whatever you donate is immediately doubled 💪
The Jury
Our esteemed permaculture design contest jury will evalute all projects using a standard judging matrix. Highest score wins! Then, our top 5 finalists will be featured on our website and put up for a member vote. Who’s design will win? It’s up to YOU.
Peter Bane, PINA's Executive Director
Elizabeth Lynch, PINA's Administrator
Matt Bennett, PINA Board Member
Prizes for Honorable Mention Winners Include
HISEA Farm & Garden Boots
Peter Bane’s ‘The Permaculture Handbook’
GrubTerra Chicken Feed
Made Possible by a Generous Grant From Ian Graham @ Old 99 Farm
