From concept to reality: The competition championing problem-solving inventions
The James Dyson Award 2025 is now open for entries, offering young inventors the chance to showcase their ideas on a global stage. Launched in 2005, the annual competition encourages students and recent graduates in design and engineering to develop problem-solving solutions that could make a real impact.
With the top prize of €36,000, the award has already supported over 400 inventions with funding and international exposure. The competition is open to participants from 28 countries and regions, with the final winners chosen by James Dyson himself.
A history of impact
Past winners have developed groundbreaking innovations, from mOm incubators, an inflatable incubator helping newborns in conflict zones, to SoaPen, a soap-filled pen teaching children proper hand hygiene. These inventions, launched by students, have gone on to change lives worldwide.
How to enter
The challenge is simple: design something that solves a problem. It can be an everyday frustration or a major global issue, but it must be effective and show strong design thinking. Entrants retain full intellectual property rights over their ideas.
The deadline for submissions is midnight on 16th July 2025. Entries will first be judged at a national level, with winners in each country receiving €6,000. The competition then moves to the global stage, where 20 finalists are shortlisted before the final winners are selected in November.
Key dates
• 10th September – National Winners announced
• 15th October – Global Top 20 Shortlist revealed
• 5th November – Global Winners selected by James Dyson
Sir James Dyson, the competition’s founder, said: “The brilliant ideas we’ve seen over the past 20 years prove that young people are passionate about solving the world’s biggest challenges. I look forward to seeing what they come up with this year.”
For students and graduates with an idea that could change the world, this is an opportunity to turn innovation into reality.