On Thursday 25 June, the top 10 finalists from across England virtually joined V&A South Kensington for the 2025/26 V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge Pitching and Awards Day. While the event was sadly adjusted to a hybrid format with the extreme temperatures in mind, the students adapted amazingly and gave their virtual pitches of their design ideas to a panel of industry judges.
V&A Innovate judges pictured left to right, Larry Botchway, Dr Helen Charman, & Julia Collins
This year’s fantastic judging panel included:
- Dr Helen Charman, Director of Young V&A, Learning and National Programmes
- Colin Furze, YouTuber and inventor
- Julia Collins, Food-tech entrepreneur and CEO
- Larry Botchway, Architect and community engagement specialist
This was the seventh 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 Rest, Join and Reimagine.
We had an amazing 206 registrations this year, with 166 entries submitted from 37 eligible state-funded schools across England. 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.
V&A team allocating awards for the finalist teams
This year’s finalists impressed the judges with their outstanding collaboration and teamwork, which was evident throughout their pitches. Many projects demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability, making imaginative use of recycled and repurposed materials while responding thoughtfully to the needs of a diverse range of users.
The presentations were confident, engaging and exceptionally well-prepared, showcasing not only the quality of the students’ ideas but also the dedication, creativity and resilience they demonstrated throughout their design journey.
V&A Innovate 2025/26 virtual awards presentation
V&A Innovate 2025/26 Winners
We are thrilled to announce all of the winners for this year’s Innovate challenge.
Overall Winners
A huge congratulations to Planet Plush from Newstead Wood School, Kent, who have become this year’s overall winner. The Year 9 team impressed the judges with their innovative system for repurposing and recycling unwanted soft toys, giving discarded plushies a new lease of life.
The judges were particularly impressed by the team’s confident and engaging pitch, underpinned by extensive materials research, careful consideration of the product lifecycle, and a strong understanding of the environmental impact of their proposal. Their design process was equally compelling, demonstrating rigorous user testing through the development of numerous plush prototypes, which enabled the team to evaluate, refine and strengthen their final solution.
Winners of the ‘Rest’ category
The winning entry for the Rest category was The Sensory Sleeping Bag from Kelvin Hall School, Yorkshire and the Humber whose design supported those with special needs using sleeping bags, with its features to calm and nurture rest.
Winners of the ‘Join’ category
The winning entry for the Join category was The Fidget Feed by Rosebery School, Surrey. The team’s fantastic prototyping and investigation into different handles’ suitability for the user landed them with the category winning prize.
Winners of the ‘Reimagine’ category
The winning entry for the Reimagine category was team Drone by Bonus Pastor Catholic College, London whose impressed judges with their blue sky thinking to regeneration projects and how technology can aid the environment.
Winners of the ‘Best Pitch’ award
The best pitch award went to the team Wind & Water Cowl from Henrietta Barnett School, London who delivered an engaging and entertaining pitch with fantastic well-rehearsed speeches when explaining their design to the judges.
Winners of the ‘Emerging Innovator’ award
The Emerging Innovator award was awarded to the year 7 team Smileys from Newstead Wood School, London who developed some mouth-watering sweets specifically designed for users with braces!
Honourable mentions
The Piggott School, London for Mindbloom (Rest category) who the judges enjoyed seeing the design journey embarked on by the team, as they showcased how they developed their initial sketches into a realised idea.
Waldegrave School, London for Gripper (Join category) the judges praised the team’s inclusive and highly practical design, enjoying the opportunity to see the prototypes demonstrated in action.
Kingdown School, Wiltshire for Breaktime Comfort (Join category) The team demonstrated an impressive understanding of sustainability, exploring how recycled plastics and circular economy principles could shape their proposed benches and shelters.
Burgate School & Sixth Form, Hampshire for The Fidgeters (Reimagine category) that was a sincere and dedicated project based around personal experiences. The judges appreciated the may interactions students were able to produce for their project which proved to generate invaluable feedback in their design process.
‘Teacher of the Year’ award
Congratulations to Natalie Cameron from Newstead Wood School, Kent, who received the Teacher of the Year award in recognition of her outstanding dedication, encouragement and commitment to her students throughout their Innovate journey.
With a ceramics make-along activity on its way for these groups of students there’s more to come!
What’s next for V&A Innovate?
Themes for next year’s National Schools Challenge were announced in May 2026. Themes include Simplify, Empower and Nurture. 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 the Adobe Foundation and The John S Cohen Foundation.
Facts Only
* Event Date: Thursday, June 25th.
* Participants: Top 10 finalists virtually joined V&A South Kensington.
* Challenge: V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge (seventh year).
* Themes: Rest, Join, and Reimagine.
* Registrations: 206 total registrations; 166 entries from 37 eligible state-funded schools across England.
* Judging Panel: Dr Helen Charman, Colin Furze, Julia Collins, and Larry Botchway.
* Overall Winner: Planet Plush from Newstead Wood School, Kent.
* 'Rest' Category Winner: The Sensory Sleeping Bag from Kelvin Hall School, Yorkshire and the Humber.
* 'Join' Category Winner: The Fidget Feed by Rosebery School, Surrey.
* 'Reimagine' Category Winner: team Drone by Bonus Pastor Catholic College, London.
* 'Best Pitch' Award Winner: Wind & Water Cowl from Henrietta Barnett School, London.
* 'Emerging Innovator' Award Winner: Smileys from Newstead Wood School, London.
* Honourable Mention (Rest): Piggott School, London for Mindbloom.
* Honourable Mention (Join): Waldegrave School, London for Gripper.
* Honourable Mention (Join): Kingdown School, Wiltshire for Breaktime Comfort.
* Honourable Mention (Reimagine): Burgate School & Sixth Form, Hampshire for The Fidgeters.
* 'Teacher of the Year': Natalie Cameron from Newstead Wood School, Kent.
* Future Themes: Simplify, Empower, and Nurture.
Executive Summary
Ten finalists from across England participated virtually in the V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge Pitching and Awards Day on Thursday, June 25th, adapted for a hybrid format due to extreme temperatures. The judging panel included Dr Helen Charman, Colin Furze, Julia Collins, and Larry Botchway. The challenge is the seventh annual V&A Innovate, which requires student teams of four to six to develop planet-centred solutions for real-world problems, with themes for this year being Rest, Join, and Reimagine.
Two hundred and six registrations were received from 37 state-funded schools in England, resulting in 166 entries. Submitting schools received individual feedback during the shortlisting phase before the final top ten teams were selected. The finalists demonstrated strong collaboration, commitment to sustainability through the use of recycled materials, and confident presentation skills showcasing their design journeys.
The overall winner was Planet Plush from Newstead Wood School, Kent, recognized for an innovative system for repurposing soft toys. Category winners included The Sensory Sleeping Bag (Rest), The Fidget Feed (Join), and team Drone (Reimagine). Natalie Cameron from Newstead Wood School, Kent, received the Teacher of the Year award for dedication to her students throughout the challenge.
Full Take
The structure of this event reveals a clear institutional focus on integrating practical application with broader thematic exploration. The shift in themes—from the challenge-specific concepts of Rest, Join, Reimagine to the subsequent themes of Simplify, Empower, and Nurture—suggests an intentional pedagogical progression designed to move students from specific problem-solving modalities toward broader philosophical approaches to design and life. The emphasis on iterative design processes, as evidenced by the finalists developing prototypes for extensive user testing in their projects, highlights a pattern where outcomes are valued not just for their final form but for the demonstrated resilience and methodology of the process itself.
The distribution of awards demonstrates a balancing act between novel, tangible innovation (Planet Plush), solutions focused on specific human needs (Sensory Sleeping Bag, Fidget Feed), and conceptual leaps leveraging technology (Drone). This mirrors the complex reality of environmental and social challenges, which often require solutions that are simultaneously empathetic, materially aware, and technologically advanced. The Honourable Mentions reveal a pattern where acknowledgment is given to the entire journey—the process of sketching, prototyping, and receiving feedback—rather than solely rewarding the final product, suggesting a systemic prioritization of developmental agency for the participants.
This event functions as an incubator recognizing both creative output and educational stewardship, evidenced by the 'Teacher of the Year' award. The pattern suggests that true innovation in these fields is less about singular genius and more about cultivating environments where sustainability principles are embedded within collaborative, resilient processes. If the stated goals of Simplify, Empower, and Nurture are to be fully realized in future cohorts, the focus must remain on developing the critical capacity for complex, multi-faceted problem navigation demonstrated by the finalists.
Bridge questions: How can educational systems better integrate qualitative assessment of iterative design journeys into formal evaluation metrics? What mechanisms exist to ensure that thematic shifts translate into sustained, deep curriculum integration rather than episodic challenges? How does the emphasis on collaboration influence the ability of students to address systemic inequities in their proposed solutions?
Sentinel — Human
The text reads like a factual summary or press release reporting the results of a specific educational competition, characterized by structured enumeration of facts and awards.