2026 James Dyson Award

The James Dyson Award is a globally recognized engineering and design competition for university students, centered around the idea of "solving real problems through innovation." It encourages young people to use design and engineering skills to create social value. The award carries significant prestige and recognition. Winners receive official prize money, global media exposure, one-on-one mentoring from senior Dyson engineers, and support for project development.

Know more (Chinese version)：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/m8MqywnoAqDN5yPyVmn7sQ?scene=1

Who can enter?

The James Dyson Award is open to current university students of engineering, product design and industrial design – and those who have graduated in these subjects in the last four years. We'll ask to see official documentation that proves it.

If you don't want to work alone, or if you studied something else but have a brilliant idea you want to share, you can still enter as part of a team. Your team leader must have studied one of the qualifying subjects, and all team members must be (or have been within the last four years) enrolled for at least one semester in an undergraduate or graduate programme.

We are also open to those completing degree-level apprenticeships, or those who have completed one in the past four years, in the field of engineering or design.

WHAT WE NEED TO SEE

To enter, you'll first need to register and upload proof that you're a student or recent graduate in one of the qualifying subjects.

Once registered, you'll need to complete our online form. We'd like you to tell us:

• What your invention does
• Where you got your inspiration
• How it works
• How you developed your design
• What sets it apart
• What the future holds for it

This information is what we'll present, word for word, in our Project Gallery. So treat it as seriously as you would a university assignment. As with any essay, you should make a plan, get feedback from others, and proofread it before submitting.

You must submit the entry in English. If you wish, you can also submit a copy in one of several other languages.

Images

You can upload up to five images, of up to 3MB each, to support your entry, including one feature image. You might want to share early sketches, CAD renderings and initial prototypes, plus an image of the finished product (if you have one).

Make them high quality, and have a look at past entries for inspiration on how to frame your idea. Your feature image will be the one which appears in our project gallery and must be a minimum of 1440px x 810px. Ideally this image should show your final product design.

Video

Some award entrants include a video. These often help to explain an idea or project, but you won't be marked down if you don't have one. Videos should be less than 3 minutes long and show both the development process of the design and your prototype in action. You'll need to upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo first.

Take a look at our gallery of past winners for examples of successful entries.

How to join

For those with a project ready to submit:

Please note that the submission form is in Chinese version. 
① Scan the QR code below to complete your submission

② Or copy the link below into your browser:
https://qingflow.com/f/e56mrepplc02?qfchannel=%E9%AB%98%E6%A0%A1

A Wechat QR code is provided below for students to join the event inquiry group and receive the latest updates on the competition.