Meet some of our 100 Big Ideas Winners!
Some brilliant student changemakers who are proving that big impact starts with bold ideas
The Social Impact Lab is buzzing with excitement to introduce some of this year’s 100 Big Ideas winners – some brilliant student changemakers who are proving that big impact starts with bold imagination.
These ideas are creative. They’re purposeful. They’re full of heart. And every single one of them has the power to shift systems, shape communities, and directly advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
From mental health to mobility, education to green innovation, these winners show us what happens when passion meets possibility – and the results are inspiring.
Let’s celebrate some of the ideas that we’ve loved so far!
EmpowerWomen (EW) – Syahira Shahreen
Syahira’s global mentorship platform pairs women volunteers with women who lack access to traditional education. We were inspired by how beautifully the idea blends empowerment, community, and accessible learning.
Why we loved it:
- Tackles educational inequality head-on (SDG 4 & SDG 5)
- Champions female empowerment through lived experience
- Beautifully simple, deeply impactful, and powerfully scalable
- Driven by a clear passion for justice and opportunity
NewStart Navigator – Marwa Ashfaq
A peer-support system where returning international students guide newcomers through essential tasks like banking, NHS registration, and cultural orientation.
What made it shine:
- Smart, empathetic, and extremely implementable
- Reduces inequality and boosts integration (SDG 10)
- Supports both newcomers and existing students
- Rooted in real lived experience
Cutting Through the Silence – Jonathan Williams
Jonathan’s proposal transforms barbershops into safe, stigma-free spaces for men to share their challenges with barbers trained in mental health first response.
Why this idea was a cut above:
- A unique, courageous approach to male mental health
- Early intervention in an everyday setting
- Smashes stigma and builds connection (SDG 3)
- Rooted in personal experience and real urgency
Uni-path – Luc Phillips
A smarter, more inclusive campus navigation tool highlighting accessible routes, quiet spaces, green areas and more.
Why we were impressed:
- Makes campus life genuinely easier and more welcoming
- Designed with empathy, skill and insight
- Directly advances SDG 10 & SDG 11
- A practical idea with big community impact
Farex Rides – Ayaan Jain
Ayaan’s shared EV intercity mobility platform aims to make travel greener, cheaper, and more reliable while reducing empty return trips and emissions.
Why it stood out:
- Tackles emissions AND affordability (SDG 11 & 13)
- Reduces empty trips, cuts costs, boosts earnings
- Ambitious, future-ready, and scalable
- Smart sustainability meets entrepreneurial flair
Solar-Powered Phone Charging Benches – Rohan Chauhan
Rohan’s idea brings renewable energy into daily life through charging benches that make outdoor spaces more usable, sustainable, and connected.
Why it won:
- Elegant demonstration of clean energy (SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 11)
- Practical solution that improves wellbeing and community interaction
- Designed for immediate impact with potential to scale across the city
- Turns sustainability into a visible, accessible experience
EduBridge – Maitreyi Bhatawadekar
A mentoring and educational support charity helping young refugees navigate the UK school system through tailored guidance, native-language tutoring, and teacher training.
Why we chose it:
- Builds confidence, belonging, and academic success
- Drives equality and opportunity (SDG 4 & 10)
- Thoughtfully designed to support whole families
- Compassionate, informed, and socially powerful
Workout to Watts – Akshita Gupta
Akshita proposes capturing energy generated from gym machines to charge portable power banks – rewarding exercise with renewable power.
Why it won:
- Makes sustainability fun, visible, and hands-on (SDG 7 & 12)
- Helps students save money and reduce energy demand
- Inspires behavioural change through everyday routines
- Creative, clever, and instantly engaging
Paws for Minds – Aadya Jagtap
A partnership between universities and local shelters that connects students with animals for wellbeing sessions and volunteering.
Why it captured our hearts:
- Benefits animals, shelters and students
- Reduces stress, loneliness, and isolation (SDG 3 & 15)
- Builds compassion, connection, and community
- Joyful, meaningful, and backed by evidence
Why These Ideas Matter
Across these winning submissions, one theme is clear:
students aren’t just imagining a fairer, greener, kinder world – they’re coming up with the ideas to build it.
Each idea demonstrates:
- Creativity – new ways of seeing old problems
- Impact – clear benefits for people and the planet
- Alignment with the UN SDGs – globally relevant solutions with local roots
- Feasibility – concepts that can realistically take shape
These winners reflect the heart of the Social Impact Lab’s mission: empowering students to create positive and lasting change.
Got a Big Idea of Your Own?
The 100 Big Ideas competition is still open!
If you have an idea that could improve lives, strengthen communities, advance sustainability, or challenge the status quo, we want to hear it.
No idea is too small. No experience required.Just vision, passion, and the courage to imagine something better.
Submit your Big Idea today and show us what you’ve got.
Let’s build something incredible – together.
