James Dyson begins his search for ingenious inventions

NEW DELHI, APRIL 3: The James Dyson Award opens for entries, giving students and recent graduates of engineering and design a unique opportunity to show their problem solving inventions on a global stage. The international winner will gain global exposure through the competition, and Rs. 26, 00,000 as prize money to develop their idea.

The competition recognises ingeniousdesigners and engineers who challenge the status quo and do more with less. The brief is simple, design something which solves a problem, big or small.

This is the second season for the award in the country. Last year, three Indian entries made it to the international top 20 shortlist, with Asish Mohandas, Creator, Maattam being recognised as the national winner for India in 2017.

Over the last fourteen years the James Dyson Award has gained more and more international recognition, attracting outstanding ideas from across the globe. Ingenuity can be found anywhere. We want to support as many young inventors as we can. This year the annual competition will include entries from a further four nations: Mexico, UAE, Sweden and the Philippines; operating in a total of27 nations.

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.”

About the Competition

The prize: the international prize: Rs. 26,00,000 (and Rs. 4,00,000 for their university), Rs. 4,00,000 for two international runners-up and each national winner receives Rs.1,70,000.

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.

The deadline: midnight GMT on 20 July 2018

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, solve a real problem and tell a story.

Entrants should submit imagery to support their application. The best entrants should be able to show evidence of physical prototyping as well as sketches and CAD.

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 program at a 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. One will need to be nominated and registered as the team member.