On Tuesday 18 March, the top 10 finalists from across the country journeyed to the V&A South Kensington for 2024/25 V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge Pitching and Awards Day. There was a lot of excitement in the air as students took part in creative workshops with artists and designers, saw their finalist entries on display at the museum, and bravely stood up in front of a full auditorium to pitch their design ideas to a panel of industry judges.

This year’s fantastic judging panel included:  

• Dr Helen Charman, Director of Young V&A, Learning and National Programmes
• Jude Pullen, Creative Technologist
• Liam Charles, TV presenter
• Angellica Bell, TV presenter and radio host.

The workshops included mindful making with clay with Jacqui Ramrayka, Adobe Artist in Residence: Global Ceramics (Year 1) and an injection-moulding demonstration and making session with Are You Mad (Making a Difference). While judging deliberation was underway, students heard from Jacqui Ramrayka and had the opportunity to ask questions on her creative practice and career pathways.

This was the sixth year of V&A Innovate – the V&A’s national design challenge which asks students to work in teams of 4-6 to develop and present planet-centred solutions for real-world problems. This year’s themes were; Belong, Celebrate and Transform.

There were a record-breaking 315 registrations this year, with 195 entries submitted from 45 eligible state-funded schools across England. Notably, 21 schools were participating in the challenge for the first time. Every school that submitted a design idea received individual feedback to refine their concepts during the shortlisting phase, where entries were narrowed down to the final top ten teams based on the judging criteria.

This year, entries were particularly praised for their collaborative approach and team-working skills which shone through during the pitching. We also saw designs with a strong focus on sustainability, material re-use and thoughtful, empathetic designs for a diverse range of users.

The joyful pitches were exceptionally well-prepared, inspiring and underlined the students’ dedication throughout their design journey and development.

Innovate 2024 – 25 Winners

We are thrilled to announce all of the winners for this year’s Innovate challenge.

Overall winners

A huge congratulations to Manor CE Academy, York, who have become this year’s overall winner. The Year 8 team from Manor CE Academy presented the Dog Tread Harness as their design idea, which innovatively addresses the global issue of waste tyres to create a safe and comfortable dog lead.

The judges were highly impressed by the confident pitch, which featured extensive research into bicycle tyre waste on a local and global level. The idea showcased thorough design iteration, testing and refinement and effective visuals alongside a compelling prototype, modelled on a very obedient soft toy dog model – who deserves a special mention!

“I was so proud of us, my family thought it might happen but we never thought this would happen“ – A student from the Overall Winners’ group

“This has been such a valuable experience for the students. I know they’ll never forget it, and they’re so excited to get back to their families and school and show off what they’re won” – A teacher from Manor CE Academy

Winners of the ‘Belong’ category

The winning entry for the Belong category was The Life Bench from The Ecclesbourne School, Derbyshire whose design was in touch with the user group and sensitivities around people experiencing homelessness.

Winners of the ‘Celebrate’ category

The winning entry for the Celebrate category was Planet Puzzles by Burgate School & Sixth form, Hampshire. The team’s fantastic engagement with their target audience of primary school students and their clear celebration of marine animals landed them with the category winning prize.

Winners of the ‘Transform’ category

The winning entry for the Transform category was Bug – A – Bowl by Newstead Wood School, London whose impressed judges with the practicality of their prototype and how realised the idea was.

Winners of the ‘Best Pitch’ award

The best pitch award went to the team Glowcycle by Camden School for Girls, London who delivered an engaging and entertaining pitch with great acted elements when demonstrating real life scenarios for their design.

Winners of the ‘Student Choice’ award

The Student Choice award went to Chelmsford County High School, Essex – Hear the Hand. The group won over their peers, with an inventive design that aimed to translate sign language.

Winners of the ‘Emerging Innovator’ award

The brand-new Emerging Innovator award was awarded to the year 7 team Bloom Boom from Mulberry Academy London Dock, London who argue why can’t fun and sustainability go hand in hand?

Honourable mentions

Camden School for Girls, London for Smart Pot (Celebrate category) which impressed judges by showcasing to unconfident cooks the many different recipes they could engage with to eat healthier.

Rainhill High School, Lancashire for Senscapes (Transform category) who were able design an accessible wellbeing area that sought to address the decline of youth groups in their local area.

Kelvin Hall Secondary School, East Yorkshire for Belong Trucks (Belong category) who pitched to judges their well-considered idea of a mobile sensory space that would support those in need.

Well done to all 10 Finalist teams who pitched their ideas this year. They all did a fantastic job!

Teacher Awards

The annual V&A Innovate Teacher Awards are a chance for us to celebrate teachers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to supporting and inspiring their students in design and creative education through the National Schools Challenge.

‘Teacher of the Year’ award

Jonathan Harvey, Chelmsford County High School, Essex. A huge congratulations to Jonathan for showing such dedication to his students and school.

‘ECT of the Year’ award

Nick Thomas, Newstead Wood School, London. We’d like to sincerely commend Nick for the incredible dedication he shows to his students and school.

Congratulations to all students and teachers who took part this year!

“This has been such a good experience for us and the students. I just know that this will be so useful in getting SLT on board with taking up more opportunities and trips like this.” – A teacher, V&A Innovate Pitching and Awards Day 2024-25

What’s next for V&A Innovate?

Themes for next year’s National Schools Challenge will be announced in May 2025. Sign up to our newsletter, find out more about how to take part, and explore our resources on our Innovate page at vam.ac.uk/innovate

#InnovateVAM

V&A Innovate was made possible through the support of Oak Foundation.