The James Dyson award is run by the James Dyson Foundation – the charitable arm of Dyson, which supports engineering education.  It’s the eighth year of the award, with James Dyson at the helm, and the Foundation is seeking entries.

The competition is for college-age students, many actually submit their final design projects.  There is a $16,000 cash prize for the winner, and the Foundation also gives $16,000 to the student’s university department.

Previous winners have tackled issues from energy, to transportation, to affordable prosthetic limbs and each found a unique way to answer a problem, big or small.

The submission process is quick and easy. Entrants submit footage, images and sketches to www.jamesdysonaward.org along with a brief synopsis detailing their design process and inspiration. The more creative the better. Their ideas will be evaluated by Dyson engineers, a panel of international design experts and ultimately James Dyson.  The winner will be announced November 8, 2012.

Entries close August 2 and the winner will be announced in November.  More on the award below and here: www.jamesdysonaward.org.

Example of a successful entry (2010 US winner):

Christine Outram and a team of MIT students invented of the Copenhagen Wheel – a wheel that turns a regular bike into a smart, electric hybrid. This teched-out wheel allows riders to capture the energy dissipated when breaking and cycling and save it for when they need a boost. Like most cutting-edge technology, the Copenhagen Wheel is controlled through a rider’s smart phone center. But packed inside the sleek, bright red hub is a veritable Swiss army knife’s worth of electronic gadgets and novel functions. Below is the website. http://senseable.mit.edu/copenhagenwheel/index.html