James Dyson Award 2026: Calling the next generation of problem-solvers

HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 11 March 2026 - The James Dyson Award, a global design engineering competition that has supported more than 400 inventions, opens for submissions today for 2026. The Award invites current and recent design and engineering students across 28 countries and regions to present ideas that tackle 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 and a chance to progress to the international stage. Sir James Dyson will select global winners to receive £30,000 and a platform to take their inventions to the next level.

The Award gives winners media exposure, international recognition, and the momentum for these young inventors to accelerate their ideas to commercialisation.

Sir James Dyson, Founder of Dyson, said: "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."

In 2025, the James Dyson Award marked its 20^th year and received more than 2,100 inventions from young engineers worldwide. Projects provided solutions in areas such as health screening, household waste, and disaster relief.

The 2025 Hong Kong winner was awarded to Reef of Hope, an modular, 3D-printed artificial reef designed to restore oyster habitats. Invented by Dean Chan, a PhD candidate at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the reef features an innovative topological design and uses a printing substrate infused with oyster shell calcium carbonate.

Since winning, Dean has advanced his project in Tolo Harbour, while delivering R&D services for marine conservation organisations, gaining support from the HKSAR Government and universities to deploy reefs, working with local fishermen in aquaculture areas, and forming a strategic partnership to expand reef deployment to Asia.

"Winning the James Dyson Award has significantly boosted media exposure for my marine conservation mission, providing a powerful platform to connect with much wider audiences and inspire real change." Dean said.

Another notable past winner is the 2022 Hong Kong winner, O-Oley, which is rethinking eye care with smart-goggle technology designed to support eye health and wellness. Building on the industry exposure and recognition gained through the Award, the team officially launched its product in June 2025 and has since expanded its impact by delivering community screenings with NGO partners. They have also established a dedicated research centre in Tsuen Wan to support ongoing testing and development.

"Honestly, starting a company wasn't even on our radar," said Kin Nam Kwok, Minji Seo, Yuen Yin Leung and Kwun Chung Chan. "Winning the James Dyson Award gave us the confidence to take O-Oley from a project to a startup—strengthening our engineering mindset and giving us the credibility to be taken seriously from day one."

How to enter

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

The best entries tackle a clear global problem, demonstrate a thoughtful design process, and showcase originality and technical feasibility.

Hashtag: #JamesDysonAward

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James Dyson Award

NOTES TO EDITORS

The James Dyson Award forms part of a wider commitment by Sir James Dyson, to demonstrate the power of engineers to solve the world's problems. The competition has supported more than 400 inventions with prize money and a chance to gain global media exposure, and is run by the James Dyson Foundation. Founded in 2002, the Foundation is an international education charity whose mission is to inspire the next generation of engineers. The Foundation also invests in medical research and has donated more than £155m to charitable causes to date.

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. Unlike other competitions, participants are given full autonomy over their intellectual property.

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 projects are then reviewed by Sir James Dyson who selects his global winners.

The 2026 prizes

1. Global winners, chosen by Sir James Dyson, each receive a prize of £30,000.
2. Each national winner receives £5,000.

Previous global winners

• 2025 Medical Winner – OnCue
  A smart keyboard with haptic and visual cues for people with Parkinson's.
• 2025 Sustainability Winner – WaterSense
  An AI-powered device for real-time water quality monitoring device in rivers and lakes.
• 2024 Medical Winner – Athena
  A portable and affordable hair-loss prevention device for chemotherapy patients.
• 2024 Sustainability Winner – airXeed Radiosonde
  A reusable, nature-inspired sensor to improve weather forecasting and tackle e-waste.
• 2023 International Winner – The Golden Capsule
  A hands-free IV device for disaster zones.
• 2023 Sustainability Winner – E-COATING
  A sustainable exterior wall coating with a high cooling effect, reducing environmental costs of air conditioning.
• 2023 Humanitarian Winner – The Life Chariot
  An off-road trailer ambulance for universal towing.

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James Dyson Award 2026: Calling the next generation of problem-solvers

MUMBAI, INDIA - Media OutReach Newswire - 9 May 2026 - Vinpearl Joint Stock Company has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Thomas Cook India, SOTC Travel, and MakeMyTrip, three of India's leading travel and tourism companies. The strategic partnerships are aimed at directly and comprehensively reaching all customer segments, helping position Vietnam as a "preferred destination" in the world's most populous country.

The agreements were signed at the Vietnam–India Business Forum, held as part of the State visit of General Secretary and President To Lam to India, in the presence of General Secretary and President To Lam and Maharashtra Chief Minister Shri Devendra Fadnavis.

The partnerships are expected to open direct access channels to all customer segments, stimulate travel demand and experiential tourism, and ultimately position Vietnam as a "preferred destination" for India's 1.47 billion people.

Representing India are three of the country's most influential and trusted travel distribution channels: Thomas Cook India, SOTC Travel, and MakeMyTrip. Thomas Cook India has strong expertise in group travel, corporate travel, and large-scale MICE tourism. SOTC Travel is well known for family vacations, group tours, and mid- to high-end leisure travel. Meanwhile, MakeMyTrip, India's leading online travel platform, has a strong advantage in reaching younger travelers, independent tourists, and digitally-driven booking behaviors.

Representing Vietnam is Vinpearl, the country's leading hospitality, tourism, and entertainment brand, operating nearly 60 properties nationwide. Its diverse five-star "all-in-one" ecosystem offers accommodation, shopping, dining, entertainment, golf, and MICE services, making it particularly well-suited to the travel preferences of Indian visitors, including large group travel, multi-generational family vacations, and experience-rich holidays.

Through these partnerships, the parties aim to maximize each other's strengths, enhance tourism development capabilities, and shape tailored travel products, gradually positioning Vietnam as a "preferred destination" for Indian travelers in the near future.

Speaking at the event, Ms. Ngo Thi Huong, CEO of Vinpearl, said: "India is one of the key markets in Vinpearl's international expansion strategy. Through partnerships with leading industry players, we are not only broadening our market reach but also proactively developing products tailored to each customer segment. Vinpearl aims to strengthen its presence in the Indian market while contributing to positioning Vietnam as an attractive and distinctive destination on the global tourism map."

Mr. Anubhav Bansal, Vice President of MakeMyTrip and representative of the three Indian partners, added: "Vinpearl operates one of the region's leading integrated tourism and hospitality ecosystems, with a scale, product diversity, and destination experience portfolio that increasingly align with the preferences of Indian travelers. We believe Vinpearl is playing an important role in positioning Vietnam as an attractive destination for this market. Combined with the extensive distribution strengths of both sides, this partnership is expected to significantly boost Indian tourist arrivals to Vietnam in the coming years."

India is currently the world's most populous country, with 1.47 billion people. The country's rapidly expanding middle class is driving a strong surge in demand for international travel.

Recognizing the strategic importance of the Indian market, Vinpearl has not only leveraged its scale and integrated "all-in-one" ecosystem but has also continuously developed specialized offerings for Indian travelers, including luxury wedding tourism, MICE travel, multi-generational family holidays, group trips, and couple getaways. In 2025, the number of Indian guests staying within the Vinpearl system surged by a record 402% year-on-year, followed by a further 335% increase during the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year.

The signing of MoUs with these three major market access partners marks the next step in Vinpearl's strategy to sustainably grow its visitor base from the 1.47 billion-population Indian market, while also helping position Vietnam as a "preferred destination" for Indian travelers.

Hashtag: #Vinpearl

https://vinpearl.com/en

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About Vinpearl

Vinpearl is Vietnam's leading hospitality, tourism, and entertainment brand, currently operating 60 properties across 20 provinces and cities nationwide. Its ecosystem includes a network of five-star hotels and resorts in 35 provinces and cities with more than 17,300 rooms; 15 VinWonders theme parks offering attractions for all age groups; six world-class golf courses; and three international-standard convention centers and theaters under the VinPalace brand. The ecosystem also features two semi-wildlife conservation and care parks, an equestrian academy, and spectacular multi-million-dollar live performance shows in destinations such as Nha Trang and Phu Quoc, attracting millions of visitors each year.

About Thomas Cook India

Founded in 1881, Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL) is one of India's leading omnichannel travel and tourism groups, operating across foreign exchange, corporate travel, MICE, leisure travel, and value-added services.

TCIL owns and operates several major B2C and B2B brands, including Thomas Cook, SOTC, TCI, SITA, Sterling Holiday Resorts, Asian Trails, and Desert Adventures. The group has a presence in 28 countries across five continents and is one of the largest travel service networks headquartered in the Asia-Pacific region.

About SOTC Travel

Established in 1949, SOTC Travel is one of India's oldest and most reputable travel and tourism brands. The company is part of Fairfax Financial Holdings through Thomas Cook (India) Limited (TCIL).

Operating through an omnichannel model, SOTC offers a wide range of services across leisure travel, incentive travel, and corporate travel. With more than 75 years of experience, SOTC has served millions of travelers across destinations worldwide and is recognized for its deep understanding of Indian travelers' preferences and behaviors.

About MakeMyTrip

MakeMyTrip is India's leading online travel booking platform, holding a dominant position in flight bookings, hotel reservations, and travel packages. With tens of millions of users and a strong digital ecosystem, MakeMyTrip covers the entire customer journey while maintaining a strong advantage in reaching younger travelers and independent tourists.

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Vinpearl Partners With Three Leading Indian Travel Companies, Unlocking Access To A 1.47 Billion-Person Market