V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge 2025/26 Winners Announced

On 25 June 2025, the V&A held its seventh annual Innovate National Schools Challenge Pitching and Awards Day virtually due to extreme temperatures. Ten finalist teams from across England pitched planet-centred design ideas to a panel including Dr Helen Charman (Director of Young V&A), Colin Furze (YouTuber), Julia Collins (food-tech entrepreneur), and Larry Botchway (architect). From 206 registrations and 166 submissions from 37 state-funded schools, Planet Plush from Newstead Wood School, Kent, won overall for repurposing unwanted soft toys. Category winners: The Sensory Sleeping Bag (Rest, Kelvin Hall School), The Fidget Feed (Join, Rosebery School), Drone (Reimagine, Bonus Pastor Catholic College). Best Pitch went to Wind & Water Cowl (Henrietta Barnett School), Emerging Innovator to Smileys (Newstead Wood School). Honourable mentions included Mindbloom (Piggott School), Gripper (Waldegrave School), Breaktime Comfort (Kingdown School), and The Fidgeters (Burgate School). Natalie Cameron from Newstead Wood School received Teacher of the Year. The 2026/27 themes are Simplify, Empower, and Nurture. The challenge was supported by the Adobe Foundation and The John S Cohen Foundation.