What’s the big idea?

If you have a solution to a real, pressing problem, the James Dyson Award might just help you realize it.

MANILA, Philippines — The best ideas can come from observation and asking questions about the simplest of problems — just ask the genius behind sliced bread. If you grew up watching Jimmy Neutron and reading about Violet Baudelaire in Lemony Snicket books and thought, I could do that!, then listen up: The world just might be waiting for your next big innovative what-if.

After 14 years, the Philippines shares company with over two dozen countries eligible for the James Dyson Award. The award is sponsored by the James Dyson Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging young people to think out of the box and realize their engineering potential, as well as giving them a platform to develop their ideas. It’s named for the founder of the technology-focused Dyson company, who is also an inventor and designer.

Operating on the belief that ingenuity can be found anywhere, the competition’s imperative to applicants is simple: to design something that solves a problem. It can combat a small, everyday frustration commonly experienced by most people, or it can put an end to a large issue on a global scale.

Entries will first be judged on a national level before they advance to the international stage. An international shortlist of the top 20 entries will then be reviewed by Sir James Dyson himself, who selects the final winner.

Cash prizes will be awarded to each national winner, two international runners-up and the winner and their university to help fund and further their efforts. The winning inventor will get an opportunity to build connections and take the necessary steps to develop their creation and see it come to fruition — a chance to gain exposure, to make real progress and change.

Past winners of the James Dyson Award have addressed overfishing, sustainable fashion and food waste. According to the foundation, an ideal solution is straightforward, realistic, sustainable and open to continuous development. Aside from solving a problem, it must also tell a compelling, human story.

Too often, ideas from young people “can easily be dismissed,” says James Dyson, “but if nurtured and celebrated, they can be transformative.”

* * *

The James Dyson Award is open to students and graduates of engineering and design courses, either individual or in teams. Submission of entries will close on July 20, 2018. For more information and to submit your invention for consideration, visit jamesdysonaward.org.