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South Bank Ignite

Fuelling and funding founders, freelancers, innovators, social activists, and dreamers at LSBU.
SOUTH BANK IGNITE 2025

Be the first to know about the launch of the next idea competition.

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Meet the 2024 Participants

Be inspired by the ideas that wowed us at the 2024 competition.

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Partner with South Bank Ignite

How can you support innovative students and grads?

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Help & Support

You bring the idea, we'll bring help! Book a 1-2-1 Appointment.

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FUELLING LSBU INNOVATION

Spark Your Idea

South Bank Ignite, LSBU premier ideas competition, fuels business start-ups, freelancing, innovation, impact, and passion.

You bring an idea! South Bank Ignite will provide the foundation, support, and community to grow as an entrepreneur. Plus, you might walk away with part of the £24K prize pot.

Application link and information coming soon.

Date

Details

Mon., 30 Sept. 2024 South Bank Ignite 2024-2025 – Round 1 Application Open
Oct – Dec. 2024 Ongoing South Bank Ignite 2024-2025 – Round 1 Support
Wed., 30 Oct. 2024 How I Won £3K For My Idea. Panel + Q&A with Past Competition Winners.
Wed., 6 Nov. 2024 Put Your Best Idea Forward Support Session
Wed., 4 Dec. 2024 Put Your Best Idea Forward Support Session
Mon., 6 Jan. 2025 South Bank Ignite 2024-2025 – Round 1 Application Deadline
Tue., 7 Jan. 2025 South Bank Ignite 2024-2025 – Round 2 Application Open
Jan – May 2025 Ongoing South Bank Ignite 2024-2025 – Round 2 Support
Jan – Feb 2025 Start-Up London 6-Week Accelerator Programme
Mon., 17 Mar. 2025 South Bank Ignite 2024-2025 – Round 2 Application Deadline
Wed., 21 May 2025 South Bank Ignite 2024-2025 – Semi-Finals
Wed., 4 Jun. 2025 South Bank Ignite Final, Festival, and Marketplace

More information and links coming soon.

Take the Next Step

Learn More

Sign up to be the first to know about the launch of the 2024-2025 South Bank Ignite competition and more opportunities.

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More Competitions and Funding Opportunities

Competitions offer you a chance to test your idea, network with other innovators and industry experts, gather feedback on your business, build entrepreneurial skills and knowledge, and more.

Below are a few external competition and funding opportunities for the LSBU students, alums, staff, and/or community members.

Stay up-to-date on all competitions and challenges by connecting with us on LinkedIn.

Hult Prize – Win $1 million to solve the world's most pressing issues with your innovative social venture

The Hult Prize challenges young people around the world to solve the planet's most pressing issues through social entrepreneurship – and giving them $1 million to do it!

Deadline: February 2024

Cost: Free

Prizes: Every year, one team receives $1M USD in funding to make their idea a reality.

Award Categories: You can pitch any idea you have for a social enterprise, as long as it is world-changing and aligned with at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Eligibility: To apply, you need to be:

  • You must currently be a student enrolled in a degree seeking program.
  • Teams must be between 3 - 5 members. All students must be from the same university, with an additional option to have one, that can be from a different university.
  • You must be at least 18 years of age to compete.

Additional Support: South Bank Starters is here to help you with your application and making the best impression for this competition. Set up a 1-2-1 appointment to talk about this competition.

For more information, please visit https://www.hultprize.org/

Tata Varsity Pitch 2024, powered by NACUE - £15K for the next BIG thing

Tata wants to celebrate and showcase the phenomenal entrepreneurial talent coming out of colleges and universities across the UK. So, make a 60-second video pitch to show you have the best student and graduate business ideas!

Deadline: 6 September 2024

Cost: Free

Prizes: £15,000, a national title and more opportunities

Award Categories: The competition encourages ideas and businesses in the following categories:

  • Social Impact: driving positive impact, seeking out solutions to pressing social problems
  • Early Stage:  exclusively dedicated to those very early-stage businesses
  • Genuine Innovation:  if your product or service is unique and truly changing the way things are traditionally done
  • Digital & Technical: for your app, hardware or online product or service that will transform the digital world
  • Creative & Design:  businesses with creative flair
  • Health & Wellbeing:  aiming to promote physical/mental health

Eligibility: The competition is open to any current students at a UK university or college or anyone who graduated in 2017 or after.

Additional Support: Get top tips with the competition application guide. South Bank Starters is here to help you with your application and making the best impression for this competition. Set up a 1-2-1 appointment to talk about this competition.

For more information, please visit https://nacue.com/events/tata-varsity-pitch-competition.html

Your Entrepreneurs Scheme (YES) – Commercialise your post-graduate idea

YES is an innovative global competition developed to raise awareness among Master and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, research fellows and technicians how ideas can be commercialised.

Deadline: 13 September 2024

Cost: £650

Prizes: Compete for a prize fund of £10k

Award Categories: Themes for YES24 include

  • Biomedical
  • energy, engineering and environmental
  • food and drink
  • sustainable agriculture

Eligibility: You can enter YES24 if, at the time of participation, you are:

  • a technician
  • registered as a postgraduate: Master, PhD, postdoctoral researcher or research fellow
  • an early career academic or knowledge exchange: completed a PhD, postdoc or fellowship typically within the past 18 months

There is no age limit for those wishing to participate.

Participants welcome from universities outside of the UK.

Additional Support: Join an Awareness Sessions: https://www.yescompetitions.co.uk/awareness-sessions.aspx. South Bank Starters is here to help you with your application and making the best impression for this competition. Set up a 1-2-1 appointment to talk about this competition.

For more information, please visit https://www.yescompetitions.co.uk/

Female Founders Competition by Fiverr – £15K to spend on Fiverr

Fiverr and Virgin StartUp are challenging female founders to show how business-building is done for their chance to gain access to resources and guidance they need to see their visions turn into reality. Plus, a chance to win £15,000 to spend on Fiverr.

Deadline: 16 September, 2024

Cost: Free, but applicants must be a Fiverr account holder (sign up for free)

Prizes: £15,000 to spend on Fiverr

Eligibility: To qualify for the competition, individuals must be:

  • A female founder or co-founder
  • A UK resident
  • 18 or older
  • Available to travel to London for the finals on November 13th, if selected as a finalist
  • A Fiverr account holder (accounts are free)

Additional Support: South Bank Starters is here to help you with your application and making the best impression for this competition. Set up a 1-2-1 appointment to talk about this competition.

For more information, please visit https://www.fiverr.com/cp/female-founders-competition

Youth Start-Up Competition (YSC) - Encouraging Young Entrepreneurs in the EU and COSME to Shape the Future

YSC 2024 is a chance for young innovators from EU and COSME countries to showcase their start-up ideas that address urgent issues such as sustainability, social inclusion and technological advancement.

Deadline: 20 September 2024

Cost: Free

Prizes:

  • The three best candidates will all be invited to attend the SME Assembly in Budapest, Hungary, from November 18-20, 2024.
  • During a dedicated YSC session at the SME Assembly, the finalists will have the opportunity to pitch their start-up idea to the jury members and the audience live.
  • While attending the SME Assembly 2024 finalists will connect with potential investors and partners. The event features various workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities where young entrepreneurs can learn, grow, and collaborate with industry professionals.

Selection Categories:

  • Creativity: Innovative and original ideas.
  • Originality: Potential to attract public interest and media attention.
  • Communication: Clear and compelling presentation of the idea.

Eligibility:

  • Age: You must be between 18 and 25 years old.
  • Residency: You must be resident in any of the EU or COSME countries.

Additional Support: South Bank Starters is here to help you with your application and making the best impression for this competition. Set up a 1-2-1 appointment to talk about this competition.

For more information, please visit https://futurium.ec.europa.eu/en/promoting-enterprise/european-sme-week/2024-youth-start-competition-ysc-encouraging-young-entrepreneurs-shape-future

Connect with South Bank Starters

South Bank Starters is here to guide, support, inspire, and motivate you. Find ways to connect with the team and your community of entrepreneurial minded individuals. You can email us at studententerprise@lsbu.ac.uk.