James Dyson is Looking for People Who Can Solve Problems

Are you a problem solver? Do you want to pitch your skills against the best in the World? Check out the James Dyson Award (JDA) which is in the 15th years.

The deadline is midnight GMT on 11th July 2019. Do read the fine prints (on the website) if you really want to enter. Here is the launch video.

And here is the Press Release.

Press Release

James Dyson is looking for young inventors who are tackling big problems in ingenious ways.

The James Dyson Award is open for entries

This year marks the 15th anniversary of the James Dyson Award, and the 15th year of empowering the next generation of engineers to solve the problems that will impact their future. The James Dyson Foundation is challenging innovative and entrepreneurial students and recent graduates to design something that solves a problem. Ingenuity can be found anywhere. We want to support as many young inventors as we can.

James Dyson says: “Young engineers and designers have perspective and unbridled intelligence that makes them incredibly adept at problem solving. Their ideas can easily be dismissed, but if nurtured and celebrated they are transformative. Developing a product or technology is a long and daunting process; the James Dyson Award celebrates the inventive young people embarking on that process. The Award champions our next generation of inventors and will propel them towards future success. I am excited to see what surprising ideas this year’s award brings.”

See the launch video here.

Solving real problems

The best inventions are often the simplest, yet provide a clear and intelligent solution to real-world problems. Past winners have sought to address food waste, water conservation, pollution, medical treatment in developing countries and sustainability across all industries. The 2018 International Winner, O-Wind Turbine, addresses sustainable energy generation in urban environments with a new type of wind turbine that captures wind flowing in every direction.

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Boosting opportunities

The award has given young inventors international media exposure which has opened up further investment and opportunities for them to develop their ideas. Past winners, such as Airgo, the world’s first full composite aircraft passenger seat, Petit Pli, expandable clothing for children, and Mimica, a bio-reactive food label, have been launched into successful businesses, and the inventors of O-Wind Turbine were approached by investors soon after winning the award.

“Cities are windy places but we are currently not harnessing this resource. Winning the international James Dyson Award has validated our concept. The attention we’ve received so far has given us the confidence to see the development of this concept as a future career. Already we are in discussions with investors and we hope to secure a deal in the coming months.” O-Wind Turbine inventors, Nicolas Orellana and Yaseen Noorani.

2018 Singapore national winner – Folks Kitchenware

‘Folks’ is a series of kitchenware that helps the visually-impaired prepare food safely with convenience, confidence and dignity.

2018 international winner – O-Wind Turbine

O-Wind Turbine is an omnidirectional wind turbine that can capture wind travelling in any direction, unlike conventional turbines. This allows it to be used in urban environments where wind flow is multi-directional.

2018 international runner up – Excelscope

A team of students from the Netherlands invented an affordable way to detect malaria using a smartphone, for use in developing countries.

2017 international winner – The sKan

The sKan is a low cost and non-invasive melanoma detection device invented by a team of medical and bioengineering undergraduates from McMaster University, Canada. The team are currently using the prize money to refine their design to ensure it passes the US Food and Drug Administration standards.

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2016 international winner – EcoHelmet

EcoHelmet is a foldable, paper bike helmet for bike shares. It uses a honeycomb configuration to protect the head from impact and folds completely flat when not in use. It is currently in product development stages.

2015 international winner – Voltera V-One

Voltera V-One uses rapid prototyping principles that underpin 3D printing to produce printed circuit boards (PCBs) that help power appliances such as smart phones. One of their models is currently used by engineers at Dyson. 

2014 international winner – mOm

There are 1 million preventable neonatal deaths every year. mOm addresses this as a low cost, electronically controlled, inflatable incubator for use in the developing world. It has now launched as a business and is currently in development.

About the competition

The competition brief: design something that solves a problem. This problem may be a frustration we all face in daily life, or a global issue. The important thing is that the solution is effective and demonstrates considered design thinking.

The prize: the international prize is $52, 000 (plus $8, 600 for the winner’s university), two international runners-up receive $8, 600 and each national winner receives $3, 400.

The process: entries are judged first at the national level – before progressing to the international stage. A panel of Dyson engineers select an international shortlist of 20 entries. The Top 20 projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson, who selects the international winner.

The James Dyson Award runs in 27 countries and regions worldwide. These are:  Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, UAE, UK, and USA.

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The deadline: midnight GMT on 11 July 2019

How to enter

Candidates enter through an online application via the James Dyson Award website.

Entrants should concisely explain what their invention is, how it works, and their development process. The best entries are always realistic and sustainable, show iterative development and solve a real problem. The best entrants submit imagery and video to support their application, with evidence of physical prototyping.

Eligibility criteria

Entrants must be, or have been within the last four years, enrolled for at least one semester in an undergraduate or graduate engineering or design related course at university in a country or region chosen to participate in the James Dyson Award.

In the case of team entries, all members of the team must be, or have been within the last four years, enrolled for at least one semester in an undergraduate or graduate program at a university in a country or region chosen to participate in the James Dyson Award, and at least one team member must have studied an eligible subject.