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Student and judge at DIP awards

Design Innovation in Plastics Student Design Awards for undergraduates in the UK and Ireland

Turn your ideas into award-winning design

Submissions open, this year's deadline 13 March 2027. See key dates.

Interpret the brief.
Get creative.
Pitch your idea.

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The 2027 brief

When life doesn't go to plan

This year’s challenge asks you to explore how product design could help people respond when everyday life is disrupted.

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The brief sets the principles.

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What you design is up to you.

Flooded Street Scene

Turn your ideas into award-winning design

Interpret the brief. Get creative. Pitch your idea. 

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As a finalist, take DIP with you on your innovation journey.

Entries close 13 March 2027.

Maya Pai 2026 joint winner homepage

The current winners

One brief. Two winning responses.

For the first time in DIP history, the 2026 award produced joint winners.

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See how Cross Connect and Honeycomb Havoc turned the same challenge into two award-winning responses.

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Isaac Faruque 2026 joint winner

“It was a great experience going through the whole product development process, including a lot of testing and iteration. Both that process and the training course gave me great insight into properties of various plastics and the manufacturing considerations when taking a product to market.”
Isaac

“I really enjoyed the injection moulding course with Sierra 57 Consult and feel inspired to want to do or study more with plastics.”

Maya​

Inspiring student design since 1985

DIP is the longest-running student plastics design award of its kind in Europe.

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For more than 40 years, the awards have challenged undergraduate designers to explore what plastics can make possible with sustainability in mind.

For lecturers and universities

A DIP brief gives students a live external challenge with industry behind it.

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It can add something different to a course, give students an external benchmark and, when they succeed, create recognition for the university too.

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See how DIP could work within your course.

Successful entrant being interviewed on tv
Richard Brown with Notts Uni Students
Finlay With Equipoise
DIP judging in progress
Finalist's presentation

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