Yahoo News 
James Dyson Award 2015 opens for entries
Annual design competition rewards students for their innovation and ingenuity with a top prize of £30,000
The Annual James Dyson Award competition is now open to entries, while two of last year's winners are getting closer to seeing their inventions become a reality.
Loughborough University graduate James Roberts was 2014's overall international winner with his affordable inflatable baby incubator - known as MOM - designed for use in the developing world.
Costing just £250 to make, test and trasport, the game-changing incubator offer the same performance as a £30,000 system and is set to tackle the high rate of deaths resulting from premature birth in countries where medical care is limited.
Roberts commented: ‘Entering the James Dyson Award meant that MOM was put in the international spotlight. Even before any of the judging took place, numerous companies expressed an interest in taking my project further and making my dream of turning MOM into a commercial success a reality.
'The public response and support was incredible. Individuals and products involved in the James Dyson Award are clearly held in high esteem globally.’
The James Dyson Award now runs in 20 countries and is awarded by Lord James Dyson, inventor and founder of the famous company that bears his name.
The contest is open to university level students (or recent graduates) studying relevant subjects, who 'design something that solves a problem.'
[ Raspberry Pi 2 microcomputer goes on sale for less than £25 ]
This year's international winner will receive £30,000 along with £5,000 for their university department, with two international runners-up receiving £5,000 each and £2,000 awarded to every national winner.
As well as innovation and ingenuity, students are also encouraged to focus on sustainability - keeping raw materials to a minimum, consuming less energy and creating long-lasting products.
Last year's UK winner, Solveiga Pakstaite, produced a concept called Bump Mark, which aims to replace printed expiry dates on food by giving a more accurate reading of how fresh the produce is.
The gelatin-based tag goes bumpy as food decays. Pakstaite has carried out a successful retail trial with Asda since the competition and will soon be going into the lab to commercialise the product.
James Dyson explained: ‘Young people have the power to change the world through engineering. Each year the James Dyson Award sees truly remarkable solutions to real-life problems all approached from different angles. No problem is too big and the simplest solutions are the best - use the award as a stepping stone to take your invention towards commercialisation.’
[ Holographic home shopping wins Electrolux Design Lab 2014 ]
The competition is open now and closes on 2 July 2015 with the ultimate international winner due to be announced on 10 November 2015. For more information, check out the James Dyson Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.
