Cycling Challenges

4th December 2012

Hands Off My Bike!

Nesta, the UK’s innovation foundation, is currently running the ‘Hands Off My Bike!’ challenge prize - which calls on people from all over the UK to come up with breakthrough innovations to make it more difficult to steal bikes and have the potential to increase numbers of people cycling in the UK.

Bikes have always been targets for thieves. Cyclists are more likely to have their bikes stolen than motorcyclists or car owners. Last year over 500,000 bikes were stolen in the UK (one each minute), with a recovery rate of under 5 per cent.

The winning innovation will be the one that requires the longest time to steal the bike. The innovation will be also judged on the impact on the environment, cost and potential for commercialisation and/or implementation at scale.

The challenge is open to any individual or organisation and there is a £50,000 prize available for the winning entry. Judges may also decide to recognise a runner up innovation or innovations at their discretion.

Timeline 

The closing date for entries is the 18th January 2013. 

Invitation to the live testing of your innovation March 2012

Live testing of the innovation March-May 2013

Confirmation of awards and Awards Ceremony Early June 2013

Entry Criteria

The challenge is open to any UK legal resident aged 14 or over or organisation with a UK base that comes up with an innovation to make it more difficult to steal bikes. Employees of Nesta, other individuals working on the project, and their immediate families are not eligible to enter.

Judging Criteria 


Entrants will be invited to live testing of their idea based on existence of a working and testable prototype of their innovation, as well as consideration of:

• Impact on the environment
• Costs (to buy or implement - we want to see costs lower than the nearest comparable existing innovation so the innovation will be attractive to a wide number of cyclists)
• Proposals for implementation and adoption at scale through commercialisation or other means

Enter the Hands Off My Bike !!! Challenge