V&A Innovate: challenge resources 

For 2025 – 26, we're asking students to work in teams to respond to one of the three challenge themes: Rest, Join and Reimagine.

The resources and films on this page will help students explore the themes, test their ideas, and present their work to be shared with our panel of judges. Finalist teams win the chance to pitch their ideas to the judges in person at the V&A.

The resources below include all the information you need to take part in this school design competition.

This resource includes all the information you need to take part, including six example session outlines. You can use it as a recipe book of activity ideas and design approaches, and adapt them based on the needs of your group and the time you have available.

Please visit our Innovate teacher CPD webpage to access further resources for teachers, including video resources and bespoke workshop session information.

The student toolkit includes printable worksheets and tools for students to use to guide them through their design journey.

Introduce each theme through innovative and inspiring objects in the V&A collections, with the theme inspiration toolkit.

Explore our collections to find further inspiration from over 1.2 million objects.

Video resources

Watch Object in Focus films, animations and designer inspiration on our YouTube playlist:

Watch the 'Innovate Journey' film with your students to explain the Collect, Make, Share design process and explore what it takes to be part of a human-centred approach.

Students should communicate their design ideas on two A3 sheets using different creative methods. Students can present their idea in any method they think best describes their design to the judges. Students looking for more structure or with less time can use the submission template in the Student Toolkit as guidance.

Take a look at example entries from previous finalists and read the judging criteria in the Teacher Toolkit to better understand what the judges will be looking for.