Competitions and awards

The Crick Innovation Challenge is a dynamic week-long hackathon-style programme bringing together early-career researchers passionate about innovation, entrepreneurship, and the future of science.

Taking place from Monday 27 – Friday 31 July at the Francis Crick Institute in London, the programme welcomes MSc students, PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, clinicians, engineers, and scientific staff from across the UK.

For more information, and to apply before Tuesday 30 June, head to the Crick Innovation Challenge website.

A 14-day immersive hackathon where students and offer holders collaborate across borders to turn ideas into real ventures with mentorship, workshops, and a final pitch for funding. This year, the Global Challenge Lab will be taking place virtually from Tuesday 14 - Thursday 30 July.

For more information, visit the Global Challenge Lab website. Applications close on Tuesday 30 June.

Tech Arena is Huawei's annual global student competition in computer science, AI and related fields.

This is your moment to showcase your analytical modelling, optimization, and simulation skills, learn from industry experts, and compete for exciting prizes and internship opportunities. If you're studying in Europe or the United Kingdom, this is your moment to shine and make a difference. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to contribute to a high-stakes, high-impact field.

Head to the Tech Arena 2026 website for more information. Registration closes on Wednesday 15 July.

Want to earn an official extra from Imperial on your graduation transcript? Do you want recognition for your employer-friendly attributes? Then the Imperial Award is for you.

Open to all current students (and designed with input from the Careers Service), the Imperial Award gives you a completely private online portfolio to use as a diary or journal. The interactive journal lets you identify your best evidence to enhance your CV and, if you wish, to back up your claim to the assessors (one page of writing). The assessors give written, individual feedback. Multiple assessment periods are offered.

Why? College wants you to develop and rehearse the reflective self-awareness that employers seek from graduates and College is willing to recognise it, formally.

Simply register by logging in with your College username and password, click on ‘guidance’ to watch the promo video and read the Student Guidance pack [pdf], which contains all the information you need to start working towards the Imperial Award. Once you've registered, you’ll hear from the Award team about upcoming workshops and further guidance to support your progress. 

It is free, has immediate benefits, runs all year and could enhance your official transcript.

Find out more here at the Imperial Award webpage. 

SharkNinja is inviting a select group of current university students to join Jailbreak EDU, an exclusive 2-day AI hackathon taking place on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 July at the SharkNinja London offices.

Working in cross-university teams, participants will tackle real business challenges using AI, develop innovative solutions, and pitch their ideas to SharkNinja leaders. This is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience, collaborate with peers from different disciplines, and learn from experts across a global consumer products company.

For more information, and to apply before Wednesday 8 July, visit the SharkNinja Jailbreak EDU webpage.