Built environment, engineering & IT
Built environment, engineering & IT
Taking part in competitions can enhance your career opportunities in this sector. You could win a cash prize, an internship or even a chance to travel abroad.
Built environment
Built environment- 120 hours - global architecture competition for students (individuals and teams of up to 3). Assignments are released then you have 120 hours to work on your submission. This year's assignment started on 22 March and closed on 27 March.
- International Velux Awards - explore the creative power of daylight in architecture for a chance to present your ideas to a jury of internationally renowned architects at the World Architecture Festival in Lisboa and win up to €5,000. The competition takes place every two years - the last one, IVA 2020, opened in September 2019 and closed in April 2020.
Energy & the environment
Energy & the environment- Earth Model Award - international competition for geoscience students working towards a Master’s degree in Earth Sciences. Opportunity to gain industry recognition for your project and win up to $2500 USD. Applications usually close in October each year - can sign up for key deadlines (academic engagement).
- UK Environmental Law Association (UKELA): Students - events, competitions and internship opportunities.
- Schneider Go Green (Europe) - annual global student competition for sustainable energy solutions, organised by Schneider Electric. Open to business and engineering students, you'll work in teams of 2 to compete for a trip to Boston, to the Schneider Innovation Hub. Applications opened in September and closed on 15 February 2021.
- Cleantech Challenge (CTC)- annual global innovation and business plan competition that serves as a launch pad for cleantech business ideas. Teams of students will develop their business idea into a business plan, and selected finalists will participate in the virtual CTC 2021 Bootcamp on 22 & 23 April 2021. Teams will pitch their business idea and collaborate throughout the two-day bootcamp to answer a challenge question for a chance to win £10,000 toward developing their business. The deadline for Stage 1 entries was 31 January 2021.
Engineering
Engineering- Formula Student - challenges engineering students to design, build and develop a single seater racing car for competition.
- Labman Automation: Fightfest - robot fighting championship for students, taking place on 10 July 2021. Open to teams of up to 4 full-time students. £1,000 in winnings will be split across the top 3 teams.
- YES Competitions includes Engineering YES - business plan competition for postgraduate students and post-doctoral researchers. YES 21 is open now - first call applications close on 25 August 2021.
- Telegraph STEM Awards - opportunity for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) undergraduates to get their ideas in front of some of the most influential companies in industry and potentially win £25,000 and a bespoke mentoring programme. Categories include defence technology, electrical, innovation, healthcare and automotive technology. Usually opens in September and closes in February.
- UK SEDS (UK Students for the Exploration and Development of Space) - run various competitions throughout the year. Check website for deadlines.
- Schneider Go Green (Europe) - annual global student competition for sustainable energy solutions, organised by Schneider Electric. Open to business and engineering students, you'll work in teams of 2 to compete for a trip to Boston, to the Schneider Innovation Hub. Applications opened in September and closed on 15 February 2021.
IT
IT- Accenture: Open Brief - series of competitions that gives you the chance to come up with ideas for using technology to improve the world. The current challenge is on how you would use technology to tackle loneliness. The winner receives £500. Competition closed 25 November 2020.
- Cyber Security Challenge - runs national online competitions throughout the year to raise awareness of cyber learning opportunities and careers. Prizes include internships with sponsor companies, training bursaries and conference places. Ongoing, check website for deadlines.
- Grads in Games Awards - 2 industry-led game dev challenges: Search for a Star, for final year or Masters students, and Sumo Digital Rising Star, for non-final year undergraduates. Check the website for deadlines.
- Telegraph STEM Awards - opportunity for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) undergraduates to get their ideas in front of some of the most influential companies in industry and potentially win £25,000 and a bespoke mentoring programme. Categories include innovation. Usually opens in September and closes in February.
- Microsoft Imagine Cup - annual global student technology competition. Working in a team of up to 4 students, you'll use your imagination and passion to create a technology solution to problems facing the world today - and maybe even turn your idea into a business. Opened for registration in October and closed on 22 January 2021.
- BAFTA UK Scholarships Programme - award scholarships to UK students in need of financial assistance to take a postgraduate course related to a career in the games industry. Scholarships provide up to £10,000 to cover one year's course fees, an industry mentor and free access to BAFTA events around the UK for a year. Applications opened in March and closed on Wednesday 26 May 2021.
- Kaggle - range of data science and machine learning competitions, some with prizes. Ongoing, check website for deadlines.
- Tech Nation: Rising Stars - competition for innovative, early-stage tech startups. Enter for the opportunity to connect your startup with mentors, investors and influencers, and significantly raise the profile of your business. Applications usually open in September and close in November.
- Schneider Go Green (Europe) - annual global student competition for sustainable energy solutions, organised by Schneider Electric. Open to computer science, business, science and engineering students, you'll work in teams of 2 to compete for a trip to Boston, to the Schneider Innovation Hub. Applications opened in September and closed on 15 February 2021.
- Faculty Data Science & Data Engineering Fellowship - helps STEM PhD graduates, masters graduates and post-doctoral researchers transition into a career in data science. The Fellowship programme runs from May to July 2021 and starts with two weeks of intensive lectures and workshops at Faculty, before being paired with project companies for a paid six-week data science project. Applications closed on 15 February 2021.
- Academy: Spark Change 2021 - nationwide student competition. Showcase your ability to find a novel solution to an everyday problem for a chance to win up to £2000. You'll be asked to show how you break down the problem and address it step by step in a workflow. You don’t need a technical background, just a structured approach to the problem and the enthusiasm to put your ideas forwards. Open to all degree disciplines, except computer science. The competition opened on 19 April 2021 and closed on 26 April 2021. You can register your interest now for next year's competition.