The international student engineering competition, run by the charitable foundation of billionaire inventor James Dyson, opens today for 2024 entries.
The James Dyson Award recognises novel inventions that tackle a pressing real-world problem.
The competition is open to engineering and design students and recent graduates, with a focus on ambitious designs that address a global issue, from cancer diagnosis to natural disasters.
One international category is specifically dedicated to sustainability.
Past winning inventions include an off-road ambulance trailer to rescue the wounded from conflict zones and a paint made from recycled glass that vastly reduces the need for air conditioning.
Last year’s Irish national winner was Joel Olympio with his invention ‘Oasis’.
The wearable device resembles a pair of glasses and helps the wearer maintain a clear and focused main field of vision.
It is primarily aimed at people with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
Launched in 2005, the James Dyson Award has now supported over 400 young inventors with prize money, with more than two thirds of past global winners pursuing commercialisation.
€5,800 is offered to each national winner in the 30 markets where the award is run, while an International Winner and a global Sustainability Winner will be awarded €38,000 to support their next steps.
“Young people’s curiosity means they think about things differently, not least because they haven’t been blinkered by years of being told how to do things the ‘right’ way,” James Dyson said.
“The James Dyson Award exists to encourage these brilliant and bright young engineers to pursue their ideas; to give them a springboard to success and to help them continue to challenge established thinking,” Mr Dyson said
National winners and runners-up will be whittled down to a global top 20 before Mr Dyson chooses the overall winner.
National winners will be announced in September with the overall winner revealed in November.
The James Dyson Award opens for entries today and will close on 17 July.
