What is the Big Green Challenge?

The Big Green Challenge is one of several experimental, high-impact projects developed by the Innovation Challenges team at NESTA – the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. It is one of the ways NESTA is pioneering new approaches to stimulating innovation around the UK and building a body of evidence about how best to encourage and support innovation.

NESTA works closely with government and is overseen by a Board of Trustees. We have no shareholders and use the interest generated by our endowed funds to support our vision of a vibrant UK leading the world in the application of knowledge, enterprise and creativity. For more details on NESTA, please visit our website.

We are all affected by climate change and we are all part of communities - regardless of age, gender, ability, race or location. This is why we want as wide a range of people as possible taking part and following the competition.

Applications to the Big Green Challenge are now closed. There are other ways to get involved though.

Groups and organisations competing in the Big Green Challenge will need to involve and engage their respective communities in developing solutions and in delivering their approaches. You might seek to be part of the community involved in one of the Big Green Challenge competitor projects.

If you are an individual or an organisation who is interested in offering advice, financial or other support to our competitors and to the Big Green Challenge competition please contact partners@biggreenchallenge.org.uk.

We will be publishing case studies, links, tips and stories about the Big Green Challenge on our blog and in our newsletter - so register to keep in touch (follow the login button to register if you haven’t already).

The Big Green Challenge from NESTA is an active competition. It’s not just about ideas, although good ideas will obviously help. It’s about putting ideas into practice. The Challenge will take place over two years from October 2007 to October 2009.

Stage 1: Deadline 11:59pm, 3 March 2008
Applications have now closed for the Big Green Challenge. We announced Stage 2 competitors in early April. Find out more here.

Stage 2:
Shortlisted groups have been asked to submit detailed plans about their approach for implementing, monitoring and demonstrating the reduction of CO₂ emissions (and other associated factors) in their community - we will advise and support you in preparing these. More information on what our judges are looking for.

From these, our judges will decide on up to ten finalists, who will progress to the third and final stage.

Stage 3:
The ten finalists will have a year to put their approach into practice to demonstrate the reduction in CO₂ emissions, spanning October 2008 to October 2009. To help finalists in this stage, we will provide advice and financial support (up to £20k). During the year, we will be monitoring and assessing how each group is progressing, working closely with our audit team. At the end of the year, we will announce the winner.

More information on what our judges are looking for.

NESTA has committed a £1 million prize fund to reward the finalists who perform best against our criteria. We expect the majority of the prize fund to go to an overall winner, with the remaining prize money distributed to runners-up at the discretion of the judges.