2021 International winner – HOPES Home Eye Pressure E-skin Sensor (HOPES) is a wearable biomedical device for pain-free, low cost, at-home intraocular pressure (IOP) testing.
2021 Sustainability winner – Plastic Scanner Plastic Scanner is a handheld device that when held against plastic will tell the user what materials it’s made from. It uses near-infrared spectroscopy, a technology that can categorise more than 75% of plastics.
2020 International winner – The Blue Box Invented by 23-year-old Judit Giró Benet, The Blue Box is a new way to detect breast cancer, at-home, using a urine sample.
2020 Sustainability winner – AuREUS Invented by 27-year-old Carvey Ehren Maigue, AuREUS is a new material, made from waste crop, which converts UV light into renewable energy. The Sustainability prize was newly created in 2020.
2019 International winner – Marina Tex MarinaTex is a home compostable material designed as an alternative to single-use plastic films. The material is comprised of waste material from the fishing industry and sustainable algae.
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.
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.
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.
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 Shortlist projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson who selects his international winners.
The prize
The International winner receives a prize of £30,000
Sustainability winner receives a prize of £30,000.
International runners-up receive £5,000.
Each National winner receives £5,000.
How to enter . Candidates enter through an online application form via the James Dyson Award website . Entries open again in March 2023. Entrants should concisely explain what their invention is, how it works, and their development process. The best entries solve a real problem, are clearly explained, show iterative development, provide evidence of physical prototyping and have supporting imagery and a video.