Meet the winners of The Big Idea Challenge 2023

About the Challenge

The Big Idea Challenge is a brand-new competition by CCCU’s Student Enterprise Service, LaunchPad, encouraging all CCCU students and recent graduates to share impactful ideas across five categories for a chance to win a £100 prize.

• Creative – ideas for a new product or service that is out of the ordinary
• Community – ideas that tackle inequality, safety, and the wider needs of society
• Freelance – showcase a freelance career and ideas for impact
• Innovation – ideas that change the way we normally do things for the better
• Sustainability – ideas that will make the world a cleaner and greener place

2023 Winners and Runners-Up

• Creative Winner: Chad Gazi, Creative & Professional Writing, 3rd Year
  Idea: Wellbeing workshops utilising photography, poetry, and prose as creative therapy.
• Creative Runner-up: Mathea Martin, Visual Communications Masters
  Idea: A digital theatre company showcasing interactive and educational productions.
• Community Winner: Tobias Sanderson, Visual Communications Masters
  Idea: A mental health campaign for men struggling to talk at university.
• Community Runner-up: Kai Hay Da Silva, Business Information Systems, 1st Year
  Idea: Creating a metaverse futuristic community experience within the Roblox platform.
• Freelance Winner: Matthew Humby, Graphic Design, 2nd Year
  Idea: A freelance portfolio utilising digital art and AI to secure brand partnerships.
• Freelance Runner-up: Arafah Sydney Adenekan, Media & Communications, 3rd Year
  Idea: An online jewellery shop “Iced by Thee Tooth Fairy” with a growing client base.
• Innovation Winner: Abel Shynu, Computer Forensics & Security, 1st Year
  Idea: Specialised socks for beachgoers that repel sand.
• Innovation Runner-up: Amina Hebouche, Business Management & Sociology, 2nd Year
  Idea: An app that combines all social media messaging in one platform, reducing doom-scrolling while retaining messaging functionality.
• Sustainability Winner: Jamie Forster, Business Management & Sport and Exercise Science, 3rd Year
  Idea: An app to enable students to sell their course books to other students.
• Sustainability Runner-up: Archie Molt, Biomedical Science, 2nd Year
  Idea: A CCCU on-campus greenhouse to grow produce for students in partnership with the Student Green Office.

Next Steps for Winners

All winners and runners-up will be supported through a range of programmes designed to help them take the next steps with their business ideas, starting with the How To Make Money workshop series on 31st January. Winners received a £100 cash prize, while runners-up received a £25 CCCU bookshop voucher.

Panel Members

Special thanks to the following CCCU staff who assessed the ideas:

• Dr Peter Rands, Director of Sustainability Development – Sustainability Category Panellist
• Mr William Hill, Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design – Creative & Freelance Category Panellist
• Rev Dr Jeremy Law, Dean of Chapel – Community Category Panellist
• Rev David Stroud, Chaplain – Community Category Panellist
• Mrs Lucy Woodward, Public and Community Engagement Manager – Community Category Panellist
• Mrs Susan Odev, Head of Careers and Enterprise – Innovation Category Panellist

Future Opportunities

The Big Idea Challenge will open again in May 2024. All students and recent graduates are eligible to apply. For updates, visit www.canterbury.ac.uk/launchpad. To express interest or offer expertise as a future panellist, email launchpad@canterbury.ac.uk.