Since 2005, the James Dyson Award has challenged inventive and entrepreneurial undergraduates and recent graduates of engineering and design to "design something that solves a problem." Purposely broad and open-ended, the brief challenges students to solve big problems.
Past winners have found solutions to renewable energy generation, new forms of sustainable plastics, and medical and cancer screenings. James Dyson chooses the two global winners to receive vital funding and be given global recognition.
In 2020, Filipinos topped the competition by winning two titles. A group of students from the University of the Philippines came up with Rebirth—a women-centered birthing tool that labor for mothers to be more comfortable, and less painful that existing obstetric beds—winning in the national category.
Another Filipino bagged the Sustainability Award for AuReus, which was invented by 27-year-old Carvey Ehren Maigue. AuReus is a new material made from waste crop, which converts UV light into renewable energy.
“Young people want to change the world and the award supports them to do that giving crucial funding, validation, and a platform to launch their ideas," says James Dyson, founder and chief engineer at Dyson. "They are remarkably successful, 65 percent of international winners are commercializing their ideas, against a backdrop where 90 percent of start-ups fail. I will be looking for radical inventions that challenge and question established thinking. Good luck!”
This year, James Dyson Award will have two P1,900,000 global prizes: the International Sustainability winner and the Overall International winner. Each participating country and region will award a national winner and two national runners-up. Those that win a national accolade proceed to the international awarding stages.
If you're interested to join the competition, entrants should explain what their invention is, how it works, and their development process. The best entries solve a real problem, are clearly explained, show iterative development, provide evidence of prototyping and have supporting imagery and a video. All judges will take into consideration the restrictions to prototyping and product development as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Candidates enter through an online application form via the James Dyson Award website.