
2020 Global Engineering Challenges Winners & Finalists
Meet the incredible individuals selected as the Winner and Finalists for the two competitions led by Global Engineering Futures in 2020. After an extraordinary global search to find the most innovative engineering solutions that will create a sustainable future, we are proud to present the first-ever cohort of Winners and Finalists from The Global Engineering Challenges. We had an unprecedented range of applications received from every continent spanning across the field of engineering. Each of the winners gained access to a global network of sustainability leaders to help propel their cutting edge ideas to the next level. In addition, the winners work was published in an Insights Special Edition to enable international coverage of their solutions so they can showcase the impact with their ground-breaking work.
In 2020, Global Engineering Futures led two major competitions which challenged applicants to showcase their own engineering solutions towards a sustainable future. The first competition was ran inline with World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development on 4th March 2020. In November 2020 we led a second competition challenging engineers to showcase existing engineering solutions towards a sustainable future.
These competitions were supported by world-leading organisations including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), and Imperial College London.
2
Competitions
452
Applicants
73
Countries
20
Finalists

The 2020 Winner.
Aida Rafat
Founder of Dyerecycle. Eliminating fast fashion with a patented solution to recycle waste fabric.
All Winners & Finalists.
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Aida Rafat
Founder & CEO of Dyerecycle
Eliminating fast fashion with a patented solution to recycle waste fabric
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Chingakham Chinglenthoiba
Materials Researcher
Building materials to clean oceans from harmful chemicals
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Shagun Maheshwari
Board Chair of Myna Mahila
Creating compostable, low-cost sanitary products
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Francesca O'Hanlon
Founder & CEO of Blue Tap
Creating technologies for low-cost, clean and safe drinking water
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Sebastian Horstmann
Co-Founder of Open-seneca
Designing low-cost solutions to monitor air pollution
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Emma Mamisoa Nomena
Founder of Wise with Waste
Producing bioplastics from plant-based ingredients
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Oscar Calderon Agudo
Co-Founder & CDO of FrontWave Imaging
Developing an affordable ultrasound device to detect diseases in remote areas or developing countries
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Ahmad Najjaran
Future Energy Systems Researcher
Building a novel sustainable cooling solution powered by solar energy
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Mai Kimmai Tran
Fellow, U.S. Department of Energy
Developing green solvents for lithium-ion battery recycling
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Samuel Alexander
Co-Founder Samytronix
Creating an open source platform to enable low-cost robotics and coding education
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Paola Alejandra Saenz Cavazos
Chemical Engineering Researcher
Enabling sustainable application of carbon capture by developing materials characterisation technologies
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Ubong Akpan Essien
Materials Researcher
Using agricultural waste for low-cost building materials
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Ayusha Abbas
Electronics Researcher
Designing a low-cost ultrasound scanner to enable affordable healthcare and reduce maternal deaths
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Alphonce Ayado Owayo
Civil Engineering Researcher
Making buildings more sustainable by using waste materials to produce concrete
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Robert Edwin Rouse
Co-Founder Ichthion
Designing a device that produces clean energy from the ocean whilst removing plastic pollution
Supported by world-leading organisations.