James Dyson Award 2026: Calling the next generation of problem-solvers

The Award invites current and recent design and engineering students across 28 countries and regions to present ideas that tackle real-world problems.

Shortlisted entries will be reviewed by national judging panels of design and engineering experts, including Dyson engineers. National winners will receive £5,000 and a chance to progress to the international stage. Sir James Dyson will select global winners to receive £30,000 and a platform to take their inventions to the next level.

The Award gives winners media exposure, international recognition, and the momentum for these young inventors to accelerate their ideas to commercialisation.

Sir James Dyson, Founder of Dyson, said: "I established the James Dyson Award to encourage young 'doers' in life who are focused on solving the problems they see in the world, not grandstanding about them. It has been inspiring to see so many brilliant ideas from young design engineers, many of whom have gone on to build businesses and take their problem-solving ideas to people and markets all over the world. I look forward to judging this year's submissions."

In 2025, the James Dyson Award marked its 20^th year and received more than 2,100 inventions from young engineers worldwide. Projects provided solutions in areas such as health screening, household waste, and disaster relief.

The 2025 Hong Kong winner was awarded to Reef of Hope, an modular, 3D-printed artificial reef designed to restore oyster habitats. Invented by Dean Chan, a PhD candidate at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the reef features an innovative topological design and uses a printing substrate infused with oyster shell calcium carbonate.

Since winning, Dean has advanced his project in Tolo Harbour, while delivering R&D services for marine conservation organisations, gaining support from the HKSAR Government and universities to deploy reefs, working with local fishermen in aquaculture areas, and forming a strategic partnership to expand reef deployment to Asia.

"Winning the James Dyson Award has significantly boosted media exposure for my marine conservation mission, providing a powerful platform to connect with much wider audiences and inspire real change." Dean said.

Another notable past winner is the 2022 Hong Kong winner, O-Oley, which is rethinking eye care with smart-goggle technology designed to support eye health and wellness. Building on the industry exposure and recognition gained through the Award, the team officially launched its product in June 2025 and has since expanded its impact by delivering community screenings with NGO partners. They have also established a dedicated research centre in Tsuen Wan to support ongoing testing and development.

"Honestly, starting a company wasn't even on our radar," said Kin Nam Kwok, Minji Seo, Yuen Yin Leung and Kwun Chung Chan. "Winning the James Dyson Award gave us the confidence to take O-Oley from a project to a startup—strengthening our engineering mindset and giving us the credibility to be taken seriously from day one."

How to enter

Entries can now be submitted via the James Dyson Award website, with the deadline set for midnight on 15^th July 2026. University students and recent graduates of design and engineering subjects are eligible to apply.

The best entries tackle a clear global problem, demonstrate a thoughtful design process, and showcase originality and technical feasibility.

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James Dyson Award

NOTES TO EDITORS

The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson, to demonstrate the power of engineers to solve the world's problems. The competition has supported more than 400 inventions with prize money and a chance to gain global media exposure, and is run by the James Dyson Foundation. Founded in 2002, the Foundation is an international education charity whose mission is to inspire the next generation of engineers. The Foundation also invests in medical research and has donated more than £155m to charitable causes to date.

ABOUT THE COMPETITION

The brief. Design something that solves a problem. This problem may be a frustration that we all face in daily life, or a global issue. The important thing is that the solution is effective and demonstrates considered design thinking. Unlike other competitions, participants are given full autonomy over their intellectual property.

The process. Entries are judged first at the national level by a panel of external judges and a Dyson engineer. Each operating market awards a national winner and two national runners-up. From these winners, a panel of Dyson engineers then select an international shortlist of 20 entries. The top 20 projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson who selects his global winners.

The 2026 prizes

1. Global winners, chosen by Sir James Dyson, each receive a prize of £30,000.
2. Each national winner receives £5,000.

Previous global winners

• 2025 Medical Winner – OnCue
  A smart keyboard with haptic and visual cues for people with Parkinson's.
• 2025 Sustainability Winner – WaterSense
  An AI-powered device for real-time water quality monitoring device in rivers and lakes.
• 2024 Medical Winner – Athena
  A portable and affordable hair-loss prevention device for chemotherapy patients.
• 2024 Sustainability Winner – airXeed Radiosonde
  A reusable, nature-inspired sensor to improve weather forecasting and tackle e-waste.
• 2023 International Winner – The Golden Capsule
  A hands-free IV device for disaster zones.
• 2023 Sustainability Winner – E-COATING
  A sustainable exterior wall coating with a high cooling effect, reducing environmental costs of air conditioning.
• 2023 Humanitarian Winner – The Life Chariot
  An off-road trailer ambulance for universal towing.