The James Dyson Award is now open for entries, giving students and recent graduates of engineering and design a unique opportunity to showcase their problem solving inventions on a global stage.
The brief is simple, design something which solves a problem, big or small. The winner will gain international exposure through the competition and approximately $53,000 to develop their idea.
Over the last fourteen years the James Dyson Award has gained more and more international recognition, attracting outstanding ideas from across the globe.
“Young engineers and designers have perspective and unbridled intelligence that makes them incredibly adept at problem solving,” said James Dyson.
“Their ideas can be easily 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 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.”
Joining the James Dyson Award judging panel for the Australian entries are some of the country’s leading minds in the technology and engineering sector. This year Australian judges include Ally Watson, CEO and Co-Founder for Code Like a Girl, Dr Sue Keay, COO for Australian Centre for Robotic Vision and Trevor Long, technology commentator and editor for EFTM.
“This is an exciting and important opportunity for us to champion students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and I hope my role as a judge inspires other women to participate in competitions and pursue careers in STEM,” said Ally Watson.
“From what I’ve seen, over the past few years, the James Dyson Award has received amazing entries from Australia.”
“I am extremely honoured to be on the judging panel for the James Dyson Award this year,” said Dr Keay. “Having worked in robotic vision for over 3 years, I am very interested in seeing how students and graduates use and apply robotics and computer vision to healthcare, productivity and everyday tasks.”
“Dyson has always been a leader in design, engineering and technology and the James Dyson Award is a great way for us to recognise and celebrate Australia’s next generation of engineers,” said Trevor Long.
“From previous years, we have seen students address real-life, real-world problems like melanoma detection, and this year I would love to see entrants address issues such as education, child safety and sustainable farming.”
New Zealand entries will be judged by technology commentator Paul Brislen, general manager of industrial design at Fisher & Paykel Mike Jensen and Gareth Lauchlan, director and co-owner of Formworks Design.
According to Jensen, “The James Dyson Award is a fantastic opportunity for young designers to get their ideas recognised. I’m really excited to be judging the awards again this year. The criteria is about solving real life, real world problems and it is always extremely inspiring to see what the best up and coming designers within New Zealand create. I look forward to see what amazing concepts are presented this year.”
Meanwhile, Gareth Lauchlan says that “as a returning judge to the James Dyson Award I am always amazed at the ingenious design solutions proposed by the entrants. Past entries not only solve an issue, but also appeal to the emotive side of the user. I'm looking forward to seeing how the New Zealand entries continue to challenge design perceptions and follow the James Dyson philosophy in their design solutions."
Finally, Brislen says “I am delighted to be involved in such a great celebration of innovation and ideas. New Zealand has built itself on a culture of innovation and solving old problems in new ways, and I’m looking forward to seeing just what solutions this next generation of inventors can bring to bear. The problems we are facing can be quite different to those of the past and I look forward to seeing how young minds and fresh approaches can tackle these issues.”
The competition recognises ingenious designers and engineer who challenge the status quo and do more with less. The best inventions are often the simplest, yet provide an intelligent solution to a real-world problem.
Australia’s past international winner, Edward Linacre, sought to tackle a problem that many Australian farmer’s still face - growing crops in drought affected areas.
Last year’s Australian winner was the Activ Infusion Pump by William Mason - a single use, long-term, one channel elastomeric infusion pump designed to help reduce stress and impact to daily activities of chemotherapy patients. Concealed under garments and worn close to the body, Activ Infusion Pump allows allows cancer patients to carry out typical daily tasks with increased comfort, whilst receiving the treatment they need.
All candidates can enter through an online application via the James Dyson Award Website by the 20th July.
