On April 11, Cathy Huang, founder of CBi China Bridge, was invited to serve as a judge for the 2022 Dyson Design Award. During the judging process, Cathy will evaluate proposals based on innovation, feasibility, and societal impact, playing a vital role in selecting the China Champion of the prestigious award.

Cathy expressed her heartfelt encouragement and blessings for all participants:
“Thank you to Dyson for the invitation to be a judge! It’s an honor to contribute my expertise to one of my most respected brands, my favorite tools, and my role model who inspired me as a self-taught designer. To all the participants, I want to share a few heartfelt words: Participating in this award is already a success in itself! It means you are among the most innovative minds, engaging in the design process of tackling complex challenges. It also means you have a chance to step onto the global stage and shine as a rising star. Best of luck, enjoy the journey, and may the Dyson Design Award be a great success!”

About the Dyson Design Award

The James Dyson Award is an international design and engineering competition that celebrates, inspires, and nurtures the next generation of design engineers.

Founded in 2005, the award challenges innovative and entrepreneurial students and recent graduates worldwide to design solutions that address real-world problems. With its broad and open entry requirements, the award encourages students to boldly tackle global challenges without the burden of restrictive rules.

The Judging Process

The 2022 Dyson Design Award has officially opened for submissions. Each participating country and region will have its champions, runners-up, and third-place winners selected by external judges and Dyson engineers. The global champion will then be chosen by James Dyson, the award’s founder and Chief Engineer.

Cathy Huang, who has previously served as a judge for Beijing Design Week, Germany’s iF Awards (as China Jury Chair), and global competitions like SDN, Core77, and Pentawards, will join other esteemed judges to evaluate entries across four key dimensions:

  1. Demonstration of Design Evolution
  2. Practicality and Usability of the Design
  3. Sustainability
  4. Feasibility of Implementation

Project Highlights

Expert Mentorship
Outstanding teams will receive one-on-one mentoring from professional industrial design experts.

Global Media Exposure
Winners gain global media exposure through Dyson, attracting external investment opportunities to bring their projects to life and advance their careers.

Generous Financial Support
The International Champion, selected by James Dyson, will receive a cash prize of approximately 250,000 RMB. Runners-up will receive 41,000 RMB, with the champion from each country or region also receiving 41,000 RMB.

Resource Sharing Platform
The award establishes an international platform for past winners who have successfully commercialized their projects. Participants can exchange experiences, build connections, and share business resources. New winners can join this community, gaining invaluable guidance and support from their predecessors.

 

Timeline

  • Submission Period: Open now for entries.
  • National Finalists: Top 20 and then Top 8 projects from China will be shortlisted by external judges and Dyson engineers.
  • China Finals: Scheduled for July, with winners announced on September 7. The China Champion will win £5,000.
  • Global Finalists: Regional winners compete with entries from 29 other regions, with Dyson engineers selecting the Top 20 global finalists.
  • Grand Finale: James Dyson himself will evaluate the Top 20, awarding the International Champion and the Sustainability Prize, each receiving £30,000.

Dyson’s Belief in Human Ingenuity

Dyson believes that every problem, no matter how big or small, deserves a thoughtful solution—from global crises to everyday challenges like baby bottles. The company also believes in the “intelligence of the heart”—the creative potential within everyone to make the world a better place.

With this philosophy at its core, the James Dyson Award continues to inspire bold, innovative designs that tackle real-world issues with ingenuity and impact.