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09 Jan 2026 | views: 226 | Event
The Rotary Club of Canterbury Innovation Competition, which is organised jointly with Canterbury Christ Church University, aims to encourage youngsters to come up with innovative ideas.
The competition, which has been held for several years now, is run in association with local secondary schools and sixth-form colleges and other educational institutions, with the prizes being provided by local businesses/individuals.
The Final is usually held in Canterbury, with all youngsters that reach the Final presenting to a panel of judges.
We encourage youngsters to think “out of the box” and are looking for new ideas – or even a new application of an old idea. Ideas can be on any subject, provided they fulfil the objectives set out in our rules and poster (see below).
Youngsters might start by thinking of something that is a real problem – for example the traffic congestion in Canterbury, or perhaps some aspect of the way their school is organised – and then come up with a new way of improving things. Or they might begin by having an idea for a new device or gadget.
There are millions of possibilities for entries. In previous years we have had ideas including flashing toy boxes (to encourage young children to be tidy), a Swiss Army makeup kit, a way of opening public toilet doors without touching the handle, a sophisticated corrective writing device for disabled people, a simple way of getting the right angle for brushing your teeth, an automatic egg cleaner for poultry sheds and an amazing water-capture system for adventurous hikers.
Inevitably, some ideas are thought of by several people. Once you have your idea, we suggest you do some research (e.g. on the internet) to see if something similar is already available, and try and explain why your idea is better.
Entries can be from individuals or a team (of not more than four people).
At the date of submission, all entrants and all members of teams must normally be attending secondary school, 6th form college or equivalent. For further eligibility criteria please see the competition rules.
The competition will be judged by a panel of local individuals selected by the Rotary Club of Canterbury.
Entries are made by email: innovationcompetition@canterbury.ac.uk
The panel of judges then considers all the written material and decides on a shortlist, based on the initial entry and response to any written queries.
Shortlisted entrants are then invited to give a short oral/PowerPoint presentation to the panel of judges and others at the final, during which they will be asked further questions about their idea in front of the audience. All entrants are invited to, and urged to attend the judging final.
After this, the judges choose and award the winning entries.
There is a cash prize for the winner and two runners up:
As in previous years, in addition, the winner of the Chowdhury Family prize (for an idea that will support Global Health) will receive a special prize of £50. (Such ideas will also be considered for the other prizes, depending on merit.)
All finalists will receive a certificate of participation.
At the Final, all shortlisted participants and others attending the Final will be given advice on ways of exploiting and protecting their ideas.
There is no entry fee. All that is necessary is that your idea fulfils the objectives set out in our rules and poster. PLEASE read them very carefully, and make sure your entry complies with the requirements – including those about format, submission and timing.
Please read the rules carefully for details of how to submit an entry and for the submission deadline.
For queries, please contact: innovationcompetition@canterbury.ac.uk
