Filipino university students and recent graduates are invited to submit inventions addressing real-world problems as the James Dyson Award opened its 2026 competition cycle.

The global design and engineering contest, founded by James Dyson, encourages young innovators to develop practical solutions to everyday challenges and global issues. Eligible students and recent graduates in design and engineering fields may submit their entries through the competition’s website until midnight of 15 July 2026.

Shortlisted submissions will be reviewed by national judging panels composed of design and engineering experts, including Dyson engineers. National winners will receive P398,280 and advance to the international stage of the competition. Global winners selected by Dyson will receive P2,390,230 and opportunities for wider exposure and development of their inventions.

“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,” Dyson said.

“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.”

The award marked its 20th anniversary in 2025, receiving more than 2,100 invention entries from young engineers worldwide, covering areas such as health screening, household waste management, and disaster response.

Filipino innovations recognized

Several Filipino innovators have previously earned recognition in the competition for projects addressing local challenges.

Among them is Make-Roscope, the 2023 Philippine national winner developed by Jeremy De Leon. The device converts a smartphone or tablet into a microscope, providing students with a low-cost tool for hands-on science learning in classrooms lacking laboratory equipment.

Since winning the award, De Leon has expanded the invention into the brand JereMAKE, distributing more than 12,000 units and partnering with over 70 schools and universities nationwide.

“The James Dyson Award opened opportunities that helped Make-Roscope move beyond a prototype and be used in real classrooms by students in the Philippines and beyond,” De Leon said.

In 2025, the Philippine national winner was SolAsin, developed by University of the Philippines Diliman graduate John Carlo Reyes. The compact salt farming unit uses sun-driven evaporation to help small-scale salt farmers produce higher-quality flaky salt more efficiently.

“I saw the James Dyson Award as a great platform to showcase my work. Maybe it could inspire others to design with and for communities. That possibility alone made it all worthwhile for me,” Reyes said.

Encouraging practical solutions

Organizers said the competition looks for entries that clearly address a problem, demonstrate a thoughtful design process, and show originality and technical feasibility.

The award is part of the broader initiatives of the James Dyson Foundation, which aims to inspire the next generation of engineers and promote the role of engineering in solving global challenges. The foundation, established in 2002, has supported hundreds of inventions through prize funding and international media exposure.

The foundation has also donated more than £155 million to charitable causes and continues to invest in education and medical research.

Entries for the 2026 competition are now being accepted online.