Inventor of the future: Enter your idea for the competition! | Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Ship Technology at the Gdańsk University of Technology

Starting from March 17,2021 you can register your entry for this year's edition - for the first time in Poland - of the competition for James Dyson's Prize. You can win:

    10 000 zł for the national winner;
    25 000 zł for two international runner-ups;
    152 000 zł for the winner of sustainable development;
    152 000 zł for the international winner (and 25 000 zł for the winner's university).

Since 2005 the organizers of the competition for James Dyson's Prize challenge inventive and resourceful students and graduates of engineering students, to design something that will solve a problem.  The task have been defined in as wide and open a purpose as possible in order to encourage students to face significant problems. The winners of the previous edition of the competition developed solutions ranging from acquiring energy from renewable sources, production of new type of sustainable plastics and diagnostics of tumors. James Dyson himself selects two winning projects on the international level. Their authors receive necessary funding and worldwide recognition and, at the same time, make first, very important steps on the path of making their ideas come true.

"Young people want to change the world, and James Dyson's Prize facilitates it for them by providing funds, affirmation and platform allowing the introduction of their products to the market. The competition thrives every year. I am looking forward to providing this opportunity to Polish students in 2021. We want to support future Polish talents in design and engineering. As many as 65% of the winners of international finals commercialize their idea, which is a great success since 90% of startups fail. I am waiting for innovative inventions which push the envelope and encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Good luck" - says James Dyson, founder of the Dyson Company and its chief engineer.

2020 – a year like never before

Last year the competition received a record number of entries and the prize for Sustainable Development was awarded for the first time. The prize was given to AuREUS project developed by Carvey Ehren Maigue from the Philippines. Due to the role that is being played by engineers and scientists in creating a sustainable future, the competition includes this category from the last year. The prize will be given to the authors of the projects which solve environmental issues and comply with the philosophy of lean engineering advocated by the Dyson Company, consisting in obtaining better effects with using lower amounts of materials.

In 2021, like in previous year, there will be two international awards, amounting to 152 000 zł each, given in two categories: Sustainable Development and Grand International Prize. First, however, a national award (10 000 zł) will be given to the national winner, accompanied by two merits. The winning national project will go through to the international stages of the competition. The national winner and the merits will be selected by a local jury consisting of the representatives of the world of science and technology. The members of Polish Jury in 2021 competition include:

• Tomasz Łuczyński PhD, ME – a graduate of Warsaw University of Technology and Jacobs University Bremen (MSc, PhD). Currently Research Fellow in Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Professionally, he develops perception systems for underwater robots, allowing them to better "understand" their surroundings;   
• Przemysław Pająk – founder and chief editor of Spider’s Web (spidersweb.pl) – the largest technological service in Poland, with over 5 million visitors monthly. A TV expert, included in the New Europe 100 list of the leading entrepreneurs of the so-called new Europe, below 40 years of age;
• Tomasz Rożek  PhD, physicist and a popular internet content creator, well-known scientific journalist, and science communicator. Author of "Nauka. To lubię" and "Nauka. To Lubię Junior" blog/channel/podcast. Author and host of radio and TV programs.

Solving real problems

Best inventions are often the simplest ones which in a clever and intelligent way solve real problems. In 2020, the Grand International Prize was awarded to The Blue Box project - a device for self-diagnostics of the breast cancer using AI algorythms to analyze a urine sample. It was designed as a less-invasive and easily accessibe alternative to conventional mammography examinations which are often neglected by women. The author of the project, 23-years old Judit Giró Benet, admits that winning the prize was "a real breakthrough, since the funds will facilitate patenting the device, accelerating the tests and work on the software. Finacial means and worldwide recognition that Judit gained by winning the competition allowed her to initiate the final stage of building the prototypes and software development at California University in Irvine. Soon tests with people and clinical test will be initiated.

Creating new possibilities

Winning the competition translates into international recognition in the media, opening the paths to further investment and development of ideas. Let us use the examples of the previous winners to show it: the winner of British National prize - KwickScreen project developing a specialized medical screen protecting the patients against infections managed to start a company employing 70 people and delivering screens to all NHS medical posts in UK and 240 hospitals worldwide. Winner of 2017 USA national edition, stick soap SoaPen encouraging children to wash their hands throughly was introduced into the market, while its creators were included in the prestigious 30 Under 30 Forbes list. Nowadays, SoaPen sells their products in the USA and their product range has been expanding recently, including a hand disinfectant - a product which is really necessary during COVID-19 pandemics.  In turn, Rabbit Ray, winner of 2011 Singapore edition was deployed in 44 hospitals in 23 countries. Rabbit Ray is a device supporting communication between the hospital staff and children, used to explain medical procedures. Its author Esther Wang founded an award-winning company Joytingle dealing with health education - Rabbit Ray explains various medical procedures - from vaccinations to chemotherapy.

Throughought the duration of this year's edition of the competition James Dyson's Prize on Instagram and PR section of the Dyson website post information about the contribution of previous winners to design our common future.

Paper by Petter Gammack, a long-lasting juror and Dyson's vice-president for product innovation, provides more information regarding the expectations of Dyson's engineers in the context of the winning inventions. It can be accessed here.

Entering the projects

Candidates enter their projects through an on-line form available on the James Dyson Prize website.