Camden Challenge Prize 2025: eligibility criteria

The Camden Challenge Prize 2025 is open to individuals, groups, start–ups and organisations across the UK. They can be students, professionals, startups, non–profits or for-profits, based anywhere in the UK. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an emerging innovator, your ideas matter.

Full eligibility criteria

1. 1. Open to all: the prize is open to anyone based in the UK. We welcome ideas from individuals, groups, organisations and businesses across all sectors. They can be students, professionals, startups, non-profits, for-profits.  If you’re entering as a team, members can be based internationally but the lead applicant must be based in the UK. You can be on more than one team initially but if you’re on more than one team that moves forward to the second stage, then you must choose one. The only exception is that London Borough of Camden employees, Councillors, MPs and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter this prize.
   2. Local applicability: though the prize is national in its search for innovators and ideas, the solutions must be tested in and applicable to the London Borough of Camden.
   3. Willingness to share learning: all applicants must be willing to share their experience of developing their idea publicly if they’re chosen as a finalist. This could include  preparing a regular blog to be hosted on the website and contributing to the social media profiles of the Camden Challenge Prize 2025 programme.
   4. Safeguarding and governance: all finalists will be required to comply with the relevant safeguarding and governance procedures.
   5. Late entries: applications received after 11:59 pm on Tuesday 30 September 2025 will not be accepted.
   6. Prototyping: applicants must ensure that they have the capacity to develop and test a prototype of their solution during the Camden Challenge Prize 2025 timeframe. If your solution is selected, we’ll provide £5,000 for development costs and business support from our partner Impact Hub. 
   7. Intellectual property: any intellectual property in the application must belong to the applicant. Applicants will retain the intellectual property rights to their entry to the Prize. Such intellectual property must be clearly marked as proprietary. It is the applicants’ responsibility to ensure they’re not infringing on the intellectual property rights of others.
   8. Applications in English: all applications must be submitted in English.
   9. Minimum age: all applicants must be over the age of 18. 
   10. Originality and ownership: proposed solutions must be original work by the applicants.
   11. The solutions proposed can be early-stage concepts, prototypes or fully tested solutions.
   12. There are no restrictions on previously commercialised or published work; however, we’re seeking fresh, innovative ideas that bring new thinking or approaches to the challenge. Innovation may involve applying existing solutions in novel ways, using emerging technologies, or addressing unmet needs in a more effective or inclusive manner.
   13. Legal and ethical compliance: applicants’ ideas should include ethical considerations, especially if solutions involve human data, medical interventions, or AI.
   14. Focus area: proposed solutions should address at least one of the Challenge briefs. You can submit more than one proposed solution.
   15. Terms and conditions: all applicants must agree to the terms and conditions to be eligible to apply.