Thinking of entering a science competition? Here are some top tips for emerging victorious, and ways to use competitions to get a head start in innovation and entrepreneurship
Public and private institutions around the world are making use of science competitions to tap the brains of international talents. For the most high-profile contests, such as the ‘Feed the Next Billion’ challenge from the XPRIZE foundation and the Earthshot Prize, awards can run into millions of dollars — a life-changing amount for aspiring researcher-entrepreneurs.
Winning the competition significantly enhanced the publicity of my start-up company. On the day the result was announced, there were more than 1,000 visitors to my company’s website, and over the next 3 months the traffic remained high. I didn’t have the expertise, time or money for lots of marketing, but as a winner I could now ride on Dyson’s marketing effort and channel my own precious resources into building other aspects of my business, such as hiring staff and prototyping.
However, finding contests and entering them can distract from other aspects of having a start-up. Time is often short, especially when you’re applying to take part in competitions: many require extra information and reports, which might take focus away from the day-to-day operations of a business. But overall, I’d say for me the time investment has been worth it.
More companies and foundations are seeing the advantages of science competitions and are organizing innovation challenges. The organizers benefit from recruiting talented people, gaining fresh ideas and promoting an image of innovativeness. The participants are rewarded with training, network building and prize money.
Many participants develop strong ownership of their ideas after iGEM and wish to see these ideas to fruition, but they might not get enough support from their academic institutions. That’s why two years ago, we started iGEM EPIC, which has an international committee of 21 members.
A piece of advice I have for people trying to win science competitions is to have a supportive network that includes people from your professional and social circles. For this award, I submitted two letters from my mentors, who are pioneers in my field. Their support probably convinced the selection committee of the potential impact of my research. I also practised my presentation to my family multiple times.
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