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The Big Ideas Contest is run in partnership with the University of California, Berkeley. This well-established and highly-respected student startup initiative supports those who have big ideas for a better world. It is open to all current students with the desire to create positive social, health or environmental impact.

Each year, one Sussex student is selected to travel to California and pitch their idea at a Grand Final, with a chance to win £10,000 launch funding. This year, for the second time, the Sussex winner selected to travel to the USA will also receive a prize of £2,500. 

The deadline for competing teams to submit their pre-proposal is 10 December 2025. Read on for more information about how to take part, eligibility, and key dates: 

 

Launch session: Wednesday 22 October

 

What is the Big Ideas Contest? 

Founded at UC Berkeley in 2006, Big Ideas is an annual contest aimed at providing funding, support and encouragement to interdisciplinary teams of students who have “big ideas.” 

The University of Sussex is the first UK university to partner on the social impact competition, bringing Sussex students the opportunity to win a trip to California plus a chance to pitch their idea at the Grand Final. 

Big Ideas has inspired innovative and high-impact student-led projects aimed at solving problems that matter to this generation. By encouraging novel proposals and then supporting concrete next steps, Big Ideas helps contest winners make an impact all over the world. 

  

What counts as a "big idea"? 

Ideas should relate to one of the following categories: 

• Workforce Development 

• Global Health 

• Food & Agriculture 

• Financial Inclusion 

• Climate Change & Sustainability 

• Education & Literacy 

• Cities & Communities 

• Art & Social Change 

  

Who is the Big Ideas Contest for? 

The Big Ideas Contest is open to all current undergraduate and postgraduate students. Entries can also be accepted from teams outside of the University that have at least one Sussex student member. 

Big Ideas supports students at the very early stages of developing their ideas. Often, students who compete in Big Ideas have never entered an innovation contest or written a real-world proposal. 

The Contest challenges students to step outside of their traditional university-based academic work, take a risk, and use their education, passion, and skills to work on problems important to them. 

 

Support with your application 

• If you would like to speak to someone before beginning your application, please email entrepreneurship@sussex.ac.uk or book an appointment with Louise Harman, Senior Entrepreneurship Officer.  

• The Entrepreneurship team are also running application support sessions, which you can book here.

• UC Berkeley will be running talks and workshops from October - December 2025. Slides and recordings will be published on their Big Ideas website and can be accessed by University of Sussex students, as well as recordings from previous events. 

 

Application Timeline for University of Sussex applicants 

• Round 1 (Pre-proposal) applications open: 15 October 2025

• Deadline for Round 1 (Pre-proposal): 10 December 2025 (midnight) 

• All participants informed of outcome and sent feedback: 23 January 2026

• Deadline for Round 2 (Full proposal): 16 March 2026 (midnight) 

• Round 2 participants informed of outcome: 31 March - 4 April 2026 

• Grand Prize Pitch Day (at UC Berkeley, California): 6 May 2026

 

For further information on Big Ideas, visit the Student Hub. 

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