Law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp is to host an online Q&A meeting for university design students wanting to submit an entry to its prestigious Design the Change competition.
The annual competition invites students from UK universities to design a product aimed at improving the lives of people with a spinal cord injury.
The competition, in its fourth year, is intended to raise awareness of the day-to-day challenges facing people with spinal cord injuries and how innovative designs can make a real difference.
The online Q&A will take place on February 3, 1pm-2pm, when Victoria Oliver, Partner and Head of the Spinal Injury team at Bolt Burdon, and an individual with a spinal injury, will answer questions about the challenges of living with a spinal cord injury, and what could really help with accessibility. If you would like to be at the meeting email competition@bbkllp.co.uk
Whether it’s something simple – like a newer, easier way of accomplishing an everyday task – or something complex – like completely reimagining a common household appliance – the judges will be looking for unique, practical ideas that truly consider the needs of people with this injury.
Previous winner Tom Baker (pictured), a Product Design Student from Sheffield Hallam University, designed a state-of-the-art wheelchair buggy, designed to affix to wheelchairs and help parents safely transport their children.
The competition is open to individual students as well as teams of up to four students. Students can be either undergraduates or postgraduates, from any higher education institution, college or university in the UK.
If submitting a team entry, all members of the team should attend the same university but do not need to be reading the same subject.
The competition is also supported by Bolt Burdon Kemp’s charity partner Cerebra, a unique national charity that works to improve the lives of children with neurological conditions. Part of the charity’s work is to design bespoke equipment to meet families’ needs at their innovation centre.
Entries must be submitted by May 15, 2025. The winner will receive £5,000, with the runner-up receiving £2,500. All entries will be judged by the firm’s panel of experts, including a representative from their charity partner Cerebra, who is offering the winner, or a member of the winning team, a week’s placement at their innovation centre in Wales.
For full details on eligibility, the design brief and how to enter, visit https://www.boltburdonkemp.co.uk/design-the-change/
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