Over the past two years, the Chapter Design Challenge has become a highlight of the annual Chapter calendar – a moment for the network to come together, put the principles of global responsibility into practice, and celebrate the shared values of a growing student community.

The Challenge is a student-led, extracurricular initiative that invites teams to develop people-centred, responsible engineering solutions to challenges facing a real community. 

This year’s brief took students on a virtual journey to Cape York in northern Australia – a remote and culturally rich region shaped by strong Indigenous leadership, deep connections to land, and complex social and environmental challenges. Drawing on community insights included in the brief, teams explored how engineering decisions intersect with people, place and long-term sustainability.

In March, the 2026 Challenge culminated in a Finals event at the University of Birmingham. More than 100 Chapter members gathered on campus for a day of pitching sessions, workshops and presentations with students, alumni and industry judges. By the end of the day, those ideas had taken shape in a range of thoughtful, ambitious proposals – with several teams standing out to the judges.

Students take the lead 

Hosting this year’s Finals was the Engineers Without Borders University of Birmingham Chapter. Led by Student Champions and Chapter Design Challenge Co-Leads Alessia Morris Gouveia and Maddie Yu, the team were essential to the success of the Challenge. 

“I couldn’t be more pleased with how the competition came together after last Saturday’s unforgettable national Finals. It was an exciting opportunity for university Chapters to showcase the designs they had developed after a month of ideating, refining, and prototyping and just as importantly, a chance to celebrate the strength of Engineers Without Borders UK’s student Chapter network.”
– Alessia Morris Gouveia, Chapter Design Challenge Co-Lead

Supporting the student teams on the day was a panel of industry judges that brought together voices from across industry, research and practice. We were delighted to welcome:

The judging panel was supported by members of our Student Champion team, who helped coordinate activities, manage scoring and support guests throughout the day – making the Finals a truly collaborative effort involving contributors from across the Engineers Without Borders UK movement.

Crowning our 2026 Champion

The morning saw 21 Chapter teams present their design concepts for Cape York through short elevator pitches, with the top four teams progressing to the afternoon’s final round.

Running alongside the pitching sessions was a careers workshop organised by the Birmingham Chapter. Covering topics such as CV writing, interviews and assessment centres, the workshop gave students practical insights into navigating early engineering careers while also creating space for peer-to-peer advice and discussion.

First place: Queen Mary University of London

After much deliberation from the judging panel, Queen Mary University of London were crowned this year’s Chapter Design Challenge winners for their proposal addressing flooding and community isolation in Cape York. Their concept suggested implementing a permeable road system designed to absorb and redirect heavy monsoon rainfall.

“Being our first time competing in the Chapter Design Challenge, winning means a lot to our Chapter… Seeing our members develop numerous skills from communication to teamwork to public speaking has been incredible! This win has just been the cherry on top and we still have a lot more to come.“

– Kukuuwa Buckman, Chapter President, Queen Mary, University of London

Runners up 

Alongside the winning team, several other Chapters were recognised for the strength of their proposals. The University of Bath, University of Cambridge and University of Leeds were named runners-up, while London South Bank University, the University of Nottingham, University College London and the University of Pécs all received Highly Commended awards. 

The time taken by judges to settle on the winning proposal reflected the quality of ideas presented throughout the competition.

“What I experienced was four really compelling solutions being put forward with passion by a very diverse group of students. The winning submission was both well developed and presented with a level of detail and graphical expertise that made it very compelling.”

Alex Carter, Partner, Cundall 

“The day was a whirlwind of amazing thinking and ideas, condensed into wonderful presentations in a supportive and fun environment. It really struck me that the diversity of people in the room, combined with a clear purpose, produced some fabulous responses which deeply considered the needs of people from a different culture and place.”

– Mike Sefton, Associate, Expedition Engineering

The panel also reflected on the wide range of perspectives represented among the students. Seeing teams with different experiences and viewpoints working together highlighted the kind of collaborative, inclusive culture many hope to see shaping the future of engineering.

Celebrating the wider network

Alongside the competition, the Finals also provided space to celebrate the wider work taking place throughout the Chapter network. Students from several universities shared short presentations highlighting initiatives they had led throughout the year – from makerspace projects and outreach activities to collaborations between Chapters.

These moments served as a reminder that the programme is about far more than a single competition. It is also a platform for showcasing the creativity, leadership and initiative emerging from the student community.

Looking ahead

At its core, the Chapter Design Challenge exists to give students an opportunity to apply their engineering knowledge beyond the classroom. The month-long competition encourages Chapter members to work together across disciplines and year groups to explore complex real-world challenges using people-centred approaches to engineering.

While the competition and awards are an important part of the Finals, the day also revealed something equally powerful: a growing community of students coming together to explore what globally responsible engineering can look like in practice.

Interested in supporting the Chapter Design Challenge?

Greater industry involvement would allow the Challenge to expand its reach, create new learning opportunities for students and further strengthen the connection between engineering education and real-world practice.

If you or your organisation would like to support the Challenge, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch at [email protected].

Are you a student who’s thinking about joining or starting a Chapter? Explore our Student Chapters page for more information.

 

Jonny Guna, Chapter Network Lead at Engineers Without Borders UK