Law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp‘s Design the Change Competition is still welcoming entries, with only a couple of weeks left to submit designs.
The firm is inviting 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.
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 – they’re looking for unique, practical ideas that truly consider the needs of people with this injury. The firm is calling on students to think creatively, innovatively and empathetically when putting together these designs.
Last year’s winner Tom Baker, 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 (see attached photos).
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 the firm’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 14 May 2025. The winning entry will be announced shortly afterwards and 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 too.
Victoria Oliver, Partner and Head of the Spinal Injury team at Bolt Burdon Kemp says:
“A spinal cord injury is a life-changing event that makes even the most simple of tasks time-consuming and a challenge.
“According to research carried out by the Spinal Injuries Association it is estimated that there are more than 105,000 people living with a spinal cord injury in the UK. Every two hours, through accident or illness, a person’s life is changed when they sustain a spinal cord injury.
“Yet despite the increasing number of people living with a spinal cord injury in the UK, not enough is being done to make the world in which we live accessible to all.
“In recent years a spotlight has been shone on stories of people with spinal injuries being trapped on airplanes; abandoned on platforms; having their wheelchairs damaged. Just walk down your local high street and imagine being in a wheelchair or having limited mobility – how many shops could you access? Even if you can get inside, can you move about? Can you reach the items for sale? Can you access the self-service till?
“The examples really are endless; we are not living in an accessible society, but that can change and that is where we think that students can make a difference.
“Tom Baker’s winning wheelchair buggy last year really blew the judges away, and we’re looking forward to seeing entries at the same level of originality, innovation, and practicality, that could transform the lives of people with a spinal cord injury.”
For full details on eligibility, the design brief and how to enter, please visit the Design the Change competition page.
Press Release:
Amelia Jones – KYSEN PR
