This year UK pupils across education year groups 7–12 responded to three brief challenges applying design thinking to solve complex problems. From focusing on renewable energy, integrational community and wellbeing with hope and optimism, this year's commended projects demonstrate the powerful skills and ability of creativity for social good.

 Meet the 2022–23 commended projects:

Brief 1: All Being Well

How might we make improved health and wellbeing more accessible to everybody? 

Team: Luke, Logan, Michael, Rhys, Josh, and Dinal

School: Outwood Academy Haydock, Ages 11-13

Care Companion: a device that bridges the gap in mental health support for young people and helps them to connect with support agencies during talking therapies by storing and sharing communications between mental health professionals and users in order to minimise wait times for services. It is aimed at young people but easily accessible to other generations too. Our expert review panel thought it was amazing to see younger years producing this level of design thinking! 

Team: Ruby

School: University College School, Hamstead, Age 17

The Comfort Flow Pad: The comfort flow pad is a multifunctional ergonomic heating and cooling pad that targets all crucial and painful areas of the body when menstruating, aiming to sooth pain and provide comfort. Our expert review panel thought this proposal was well documented and presented, with focused research and great communication of ideas. All in all, this was an amazing, well-rounded proposal, with real potential to make a positive impact in the world.

Team: Kit, Rohan, and Richard

School: Merchiston Castle School, Age 17

inSOUL: This is a smart insole that encourages fitness for casual users by collecting and displaying a handful of data collected during the user’s fitness workout, such as counted steps for example, as well as health data such as blood pressure. The idea is to make health and wellbeing improvements more accessible by creating a digital health product that anyone can use. Our expert reviewers thought this was a fantastic idea that was innovative and demonstrated strong and thorough research and prototyping, offering great insights into the All Being Well brief.

Team: Olivia, Rahel and Melissa

School: Notting Hill & Ealing High School, Ages 15

Hydra Seed: A drink container that naturally biodegrades/decomposes with integrated seeds related to the drink flavour. This innovative submission combined many different areas in relation to health and wellbeing and had a strong environmental dimension too, considering planetary as well as human health. It offered a clever way to tackle and extremely bold choice of problem! Our expert review panel though this was a very impressive proposal.

Team: Isabella

School: Bradfield College, Age 15

The Circadian Lamp: The Circadian Lamp changes colour to mimic the changes in light colour and intensity during a 24 hour cycle. These changes in light colour help to attune the body’s circadian rhythm to fit the users work schedule. The submission is targeted at people who work night shifts or have irregular shift hours is this specific demographic is frequently affected by sleep disorders due to the disruption in their circadian rhythm. The expert reviewers thought this was a very impressive proposal that has identified and narrowed down on a specific target user group that have very specific needs and are often among the lower paid members of society. It is an innovative and useful solution to an issue with plenty of research and prototyping to support its findings.

Team: Marcus and Ben

School: Eastbourne College, Ages 16-17

Tackling Arthritis: These students designed a simple exercise device to help improve arthritis by using resistance to keep joints healthy and mobile and managing osteoarthritis by reducing pain and stiffness, and increasing flexibility and range of moment, overall improving the physical function of the hands. The aim of this submission is to benefit the elderly who suffer from arthritis in their hands by enabling them to be more mobile and independent in everyday life. Our expert reviewers loved the problem diagnosis through lived experience and the market analysis leading them to find an unmet need, market gap, and clear target user.

Team: Zoe, Natasha and Freya

School: Notting Hill & Ealing High School, Ages 15yrs

Calm Flow: Calm Flow is a product aimed at helping children with anxiety by giving them a much more playful alternative to the paper bag as a breathing technique to reduce anxiety. Children would breathe into the flow tube which then blows mini bubbles out allowing the child to control the bubbles rising and see that they are in control of their breath and in turn calm their anxiety. Our expert review panel thought this was a very creative and innovative idea founded on in-depth research and prototyping.

Brief 2: Powering People

How might we support communities to transition to renewable energy?

Team: Sylvie, Sophia and Sofia

School: Notting Hill & Ealing High School, Ages 15yrs

Super Sole: An insole product that harnesses ‘human power’ to generate electricity by replicating the turbine system used in wind farms on a smaller scale to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. It can be used by anyone, anywhere in the world, no matter the time of day, weather conditions, or geographical landscape to produce electricity. Our expert reviewers thought this was a well-developed product considering a wide range of potential sources of renewable energy and building on existing ideas to form a new product that encourages people to be more active as well as increases personal user awareness of how much energy it takes to power our personal energy requirements.

Team: Darryl

School: Eastbourne College, Age 17

Sand Powered Lamp: Powering a lamp using sand as the energy source: the Sand Powered Lamp is a product using sand as a heat source converted into electricity. A device aimed at specific communities in Africa with limited access to electricity. The expert review panel found it refreshing to read this proposal and see how Darryl approach the brief from a novel and interesting angle. The heightened awareness and understanding in this submission that problems faced in society are bigger than our immediate context is a mindset needed in order to be successful when taking action against climate change.

Team: Olivia and Keisha

School: Notting Hill & Ealing High School, Ages 15

Green Window: A product to adapt windows to reduce condensation/damp and promote well-being by having more plants in homes. It is a money and energy saving solution that provides nature to people who otherwise wouldn’t get the exposure to nature and in turn improve their wellbeing. The expert review panel though the designers of Green Window had thoroughly researched the issue and demonstrated a creative approach to idea generation and product iteration to come to their final design, with the use of moisture from the winder for the benefit of the plants being a surprising value-added element in the proposal.

Team: Calum

School: University College School, Hamstead, Age 17

Community Haven: A space to bring the community together while promoting green energy and saving the planet by running off solar energy. Our expert review panel loved the idea of bringing people together into a space where they can share everyday activities run by renewable energy but also to enhance a stronger sense of community, as well as Calum’s commitment to first hand research in Kenya!

Team: Jemima and Barney

School: St Mary’s School, Melrose, Ages 13

Urban Energy: A collaboration between engineers, town planners and artists to design art installations that also serve as wind turbines. The expert reviewers found that the idea showed a creative approach to the brief, building on and connecting a range of existing innovations to create a stronger solution.

Brief 3: Planet Generation

How might we create stronger communities by bringing older and younger generations to tackle social and environmental issues?

Team: Harry and Ben

School: Beauchamp College, Ages 16-17

Accessible Communal Planter: A community garden planter with inbuilt tool cupboards and the ability to rise on hydraulic pistons, making it accessible to many people, and creating opportunities for inter-generational interaction. The expert reviewers saw that extensive research went into this proposal with the aim to encourage planting, growing food locally, and interaction between people to combat loneliness.

Team: Roanna

School: Bradfield College, Age 14

The Community Planter: A hexagonal planter, easily accessible to all, which can fit together with other planters to form a honeycomb pattern and in turn a community brought together by their hobbies with a positive effect on the environment overall. The expert review panel thought it was a great concept that allows individuals to grow their own items and create a community garden. They also thought the honeycomb design was particularly unique!

Team: Ria, Alex, Zaakir, Kaiden and Fred

School: Beauchamp College, Ages 13-14yrs

Games Compendium: A travel size pack of games to bring people together. The proposal uses the concept of a simple board game and incorporates questions to encourage learning about the environment across the generations. The expert review panel loved the combining of family games and societal issues as a concept and how this has the potential to build dialogue and get individuals from different age groups to talk about the environment.