The James Dyson Award, a global design engineering competition that has supported more than 400 inventions, opened for submissions for its 2026 edition on Wednesday.

The award invites current and recent design and engineering students across 28 countries and regions to present ideas that address 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 (approximately ₹6 lakh) and a chance to progress to the international stage. Sir James Dyson will select the global winners, who will receive £30,000 (approximately ₹37 lakh) and a platform to take their inventions to the next level.

The award also offers winners media exposure, international recognition and the opportunity to accelerate their ideas towards commercialisation.

Sir James Dyson, founder of Dyson, said the initiative was created to encourage young innovators to focus on solving real-world challenges.

“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,” he said.

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

The national winners, each receiving a £5,000 prize, will be announced on September 9. The Global Top 20 shortlist, selected by Dyson engineers, will be announced on October 14, while the global winners, chosen by James Dyson, will be revealed on November 4.