Earlier, we highlighted the finalists of this year's INDEX: Award. This 500,000 euros award is an initiative from Denmark that focuses on "Design to Improve Life" and recognizes projects where design offers solutions for major global challenges like climate changes, pollution, natural disasters, poverty, overconsumption and other important issues.

Last Friday, all winners have been announced for the categories Body, Home, Work, Play, and Community. You can now watch the award ceremony online.

Below we listed a summary of all winners with shortcuts to more information and project videos.

FREEPLAY FETAL HEART RATE MONITOR (winner category: body) Safeguard childbirth for mothers and infants in remote areas of the developing world where expert care and electrical power are in short supply. Read more >

CHULHA (winner category: home) Limit the dangerous health conditions caused by traditions of indoor cooking in many ural areas of the developing world. The Chulha is a stove designed to limit the dangerous health conditions caused by traditions of indoor cooking in many rural areas of the developing world. Read more >

KIVA (winner category: work) Bring lenders and small entrepreneurs together to aggregate loans into a major center of person-to-person micro-finance. Kiva executives have set $1 billion from 1 million lenders as their goal. Read more >

PIG 05049 (winner category: play) Help people in a highly mechanized and "packaged" world understand how things are made and where they come from so that the resources involved can be cared for by enlightened, informed people. Read more >

BETTER PLACE (winner category: community) Move the automotive industry, drivers and utility sectors past the current dependency on oil by building an electric vehicle infra-structure that makes electric transport convenient and affordable. >Read more >

STREET SWAGS (people's choice award 2009) Street Swags is a bed and a bag designed to provide more comfort, warmth and protection from weather for people living on the street. Read more >

All finalists and award winners are currently on show at the Copenhagen Design Week. The INDEX:Award 2009 Exhibition is scheduled to tour both nationally in Denmark and internationally, carrying the message that Design to Improve Life is Denmark's INDEX: to a better world.