Bright Ideas Grand Final showcases Kingston University students’ innovation

Kingston University’s entrepreneurial spirit was on full display at this year’s Bright Ideas competition which saw students present their business ideas in a Dragons Den style format, judged by industry experts.

Now in its 20th year, the competition continues to be a cornerstone of the University’s enterprise offering. More than £9,000 in prize money was awarded to students, with £1,000 available for the winner of each of the seven main categories and £250 for runners‑up. After an afternoon of pitching to panels of business leaders, finalists gathered in the Town House for a celebration event where the winners were announced.

The keynote address was delivered by Kingston University alumna Oriele Frank, co-founder of renowned global British skincare brand ELEMIS who graduated  in 1988 with a degree in business studies with French before receiving an honorary doctorate from the University in 2024. 

Ms Frank, who acted as judge for this year’s competition offered her advice to the students. She said: “My inspiration comes from the next generation. The working world moves so fast, but education is key so if you keep learning you’ll be able to move forward. When pitching make sure you always understand your audience and don’t ever limit yourself.”

She praised the creativity and quality of the ideas presented at this year’s competition and encouraged students to gain work experience alongside their studies to strengthen their career prospects.

The Bright Ideas competition takes place over several months and is open to students across Kingston University. The competition champions key attributes which align with the University’s Future Skills programme including problem solving and communication.

Hundreds of innovations were pitched before being narrowed down to the top 50 for the grand final. There was also additional prizes, including a social media prize as voted for by the University’s Instagram followers and a people’s choice award voted for by the audience at the event.

The People’s Choice Award winner was OHX, a handheld breath device to give chemotherapy patients quick, non-invasive, real-time feedback while NutriWave, a pharmaceutical sachet you can put in your water to take in extra vitamins won the social media prize. 

This year’s event was supported by EnQuest, Revolvex Group, and Sainsbury Management Fellows whose support helped to shine the spotlight on the next generation of Kingston University innovators.

Bright Ideas 2026 winners

• Business and Social Sciences - Treya
• Business School: Sustainability and Golden Ticket Networking - Power Walk
• Computer Science - MoodMate
• Engineering - EcoTray
• Healthcare & Education and People’s Choice - OHX
• Kingston School of Art - Recognise and Respond
• Sustainability - Slippery Saints
• Wild Card - ARCHITEK

If you would like to discuss how to get your course or module involved in the Bright Ideas Competition please contact Dwain Reid from the Student Enterprise and Innovation team on [email protected]