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

NEW YORK, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- 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 $6,500 and a chance to progress to the international stage. Sir James Dyson will select global winners to receive $40,000 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 commercialization.

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."

2025 Winners
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 US National prize was awarded to Sole, a lightweight, wearable robotic device to help people with foot drop. Invented by Harvard University students and U.S. Army veterans, Bradley Wagman and Viktor Bokisch, Sole replaces traditional mobility devices for conditions like foot drop, which are rigid, stigmatizing and often immobile, leading users to experience discomfort, loss of confidence, and declinging function.

"Winning the James Dyson Award is incredibly validating. We've been working on this project in our own time, outside of a formal lab, so having it recognized by the James Dyson Award gives us confidence we're on the right track and helps bring us closer to our vision of making assistive devices that people are proud to wear," said Bradley Wageman, co-creator of Sole.

"For me, this is proof of concept. It shows that what we've been building isn't just possible, it's needed. This recognition brings us one step closer to getting Sole into the hands of people who can benefit from it most," said Viktor Bokisch, co-creator of Sole.

The global Sustainability prize was awarded to WaterSense, an autonomous water quality monitoring device. Invented by Filip Budny from Poland, a PhD candidate in nanotechnology at Warsaw University of Technology, WaterSense replaces manual, occasional sampling with real-time, AI-powered monitoring and early pollution alerts.

"The Award validated our mission globally and opened doors to lots of new partnerships, pilots, and conversations across Europe and beyond," said Filip Budny.

OnCue, the global Medical winner, is a smart keyboard for people with Parkinson's. Invented by Italian product designer Alessandra Galli, who graduated from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, OnCue uses haptic and visual cues to manage motor symptoms and reduce typing errors.

"The Award offers real support to young people to help projects move forward," said Alessandra Galli.

How to enter
Entries can now be submitted via 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 best entries tackle a clear global problem, demonstrate a thoughtful design process, and showcase originality and technical feasibility.

Please apply here: https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/en-US/

SOURCE Dyson