2011 James Dyson Award open for entries

The competition is open to university-level students of product design, industrial design and engineering, who are tasked with creating a problem-solving design.

Previous winners of the award have included a buoyancy aid inspired by a grenade launcher and a kitchen tap that can tackle a blaze in your home.

The winner will receive £10 000 to develop their invention and £10 000 for their university.

Entrants are asked to submit footage, images and sketches to www.jamesdysonaward.org. The ideas will be scrutinised by an international panel of judges.

The deadline for entries is 4 August and the international winner will be announced on 8 November.

James Dyson says, ‘We’re looking for the people who, rather than accept a problem and make do, design a simple and effective solution.’

He adds, ‘The James Dyson Award champions the ideas of young designers and engineers – encouraging them to develop inventions, defy their critics and turn them into commercial successes for themselves and their economy.’