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Who are Challenge Works?

We’re a social enterprise founded by Nesta.

We run challenge prizes that support innovation across the globe.

What does Challenge Works do?

We run challenges prizes that attract innovators to solve some of the world’s biggest problems.

Challenge Works unearths innovations to solve problems that matter. We focus on improving health, climate adaptation and mitigation, and social inclusion. We believe in big ideas. Bold thinking. Creative problem-solving. We believe that great things happen when people come together. That, given the right support, unexpected ideas truly can change the world.

Our partners identify problems that need solving, then we at Challenge Works design prizes to attract radical thinkers who want to solve them. Through a process of rigorous testing and iteration, we’ll design a support system that incentivises progress. As well as a cash prize, we’ll offer unparalleled support as teams progress through each stage. From press and networking to upskilling and access to tech, our challenge prizes are designed to drive fast results, change markets and make the world a better place.

Get in touch to find out more

Our people and partners

What have we been up to?

Challenge Works launched

We launched as Nesta’s Centre for Challenge Prizes in 2012.

Ageing Well Challenge

This challenge prize, funded by the Home Office, sought ideas to improve the lives of older people by reducing social isolation or increasing mobility.

Dynamic Demand Challenge

This challenge prize aimed to design new products or services to help reduce carbon emissions by shifting energy demand to off-peak times.

Longitude Explorer Prize

The first Longitude Explorer Prize encouraged young people to develop a new generation of satellite applications for social good.

Longitude Prize

his challenge prize aimed to invent an affordable, accurate, fast and easy-to-use test for bacterial infections. Successful solutions allowed health professionals worldwide to administer the right antibiotics at the right time.

Inventor Prize

This challenge prize was designed to encourage small, at-home inventors to overcome barriers to funding and non-financial support.

Open Up 2017 Challenge

This challenge prize sought products and services to help small businesses save time and money. It was about finding better services, reducing stress and discovering the intelligence in their financial data.

Mobility Unlimited Challenge

This challenge prize incentivised innovators around the world to create advanced technology to support the mobility of people with lower limb paralysis.

CareerTech Challenge Prize

A programme to help people understand the labour market and plan their future careers, using data.

Rapid Recovery Challenge

Launched in response to the pandemic, two challenge prizes aimed to support those who were affected by the economic shock of COVID-19.

Afri-Plastics Challenge

This comprises three challenge prizes aimed to reduce marine plastics in Sub-Saharan African countries. It did it by developing innovative solutions to plastic mismanagement in a way that promotes gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.

Ghana Science and Tech Explorer Challenge Prize

GSTEP is inspiring the next generation of inventors and entrepreneurs in Ghana by encouraging practical learning and the development of STEM and ICT skills through a series of challenge prizes.

Homegrown Innovation Challenge

A $33m USD prize aiming to enable Canadian farmers and producers to sustainably and competitively grow berries out of season.

Longitude Prize on Dementia

The Longitude Prize on Dementia will be awarded to the creator of a breakthrough technology that learns from a person living with dementia, adapting and compensating for their condition as it progresses, and enabling them to continue living independently for longer.

Smart Data Discovery Challenge

The Smart Data Discovery Challenge is calling on individuals, innovators, entrepreneurs, academia and civil society to join us in identifying innovative ways in which Smart Data could make a difference for consumers, small businesses and wider society.

Manchester Prize

The first Manchester Prize will be awarded to the most innovative and impactful AI solution which demonstrates social benefit by overcoming challenges in the fields of energy, environment and infrastructure.

Aqualunar Challenge

The Aqualunar Challenge will reward UK-led water purification innovations that will benefit both Earth and Space. We need your help to pioneer technology and innovation that will purify water on the moon.

What are our objectives?

Create breakthrough innovations

By guiding and incentivising the smartest minds, we create better, more diverse solutions, providing low-risk chances to support long shots, radical ideas and unusual suspects.

Help innovators thrive

We know that great things happen when people come together, so we incentivise creative thinkers in a supportive, open and rewarding environment. Whether they win or not, all our problem-solvers benefit.

Unlock systemic change

The solutions discovered in our challenge prizes go on to shape the future development of markets and technologies. Challenge prizes can help identify best practice, shift regulation and even drive policy change.