Bright Ideas Competition 2023 - Winners Announced!

The Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) is pleased to announce the success of the 2023 Bright Ideas Competition.

This year we awarded 27 Bright Ideas with funding up to £200! The Bright Ideas Judging panel were very impressed with the quality and high standard of applications this year, that saw applicants submitting short minute long videos, describing their idea.

From walking suitcases to fashion brands, compostable solutions to bottles and exhibitions about migration in Manchester, Bright Ideas this year was full of unique and diverse ideas.

Take a look at some of the winning entries below!

Seb Norman, BSc (Hons) Management, won £200 with his Fashion brand, Desguisement.

"My participation in the Bright Ideas competition challenged me to present my brand in a more formal way, forcing me to fully articulate my brand’s message in as little as a few sentences, which I’ve had trouble with before. With this in my mind I feel more equipped to ensure future releases/media can be consistent to the brand to create a definitive image, something vital for fashion.

I see this competition as the first of many times I work with the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, as I feel they can greatly boost my skills, development and portfolio when it comes to entrepreneurship."

Kaito Fukushima, BSc (Hons) International Business, Finance and Economics and the team won £100 with their idea U-Pillow.

"The experience I have gained during both my Bright Ideas competition in 2022 and 2023 was fascinating. Me and my teams have managed to secure a win on both competitions and we are happy to say that it helped us to develop our critical thinking skill, communication skill, leadership skill, as well as planning and presentation skill further.

Bright Ideas is a great opportunity for you to extend your business skills into further level and also a great place to show what you are capable of doing. Although this competition requires a lot of work and planning, it is definitely worth applying and it will for sure help your path to the future career."

Lesley Cheung, MA Student in Art Gallery and Museum Studies, won £200 with her idea for her exhibition "Rituals of Passage - Migratory Orbits" celebrating diverse populations in Manchester.

"I am thrilled to be awarded in the Bright Ideas Competition. The submission format of a one-minute video helped me find focus and clarity for my project idea, and I am grateful the judging panel found it promising. The recognition is an important proof-of-concept for me to turn the idea into reality and aim higher.

Thank you also to Jess who provided constructive feedback on how I could take the project further, as well as to Masood Entrepreneurship Centre for supporting and incubating our side hustles."

Mehuli Basu, MSc Adv Computer Science, with her idea for online medical and healthcare services.

"I was overjoyed upon learning that I have been named the winner by the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre. This news absolutely made my day. The moment I saw "Congratulations, you are the winner," I couldn’t contain my excitement and jumped out to call my mother in India to share the wonderful news.

Thank you immensely for this opportunity. I am eagerly looking forward to growing this venture with my friends and colleagues in Manchester."

We’ll be celebrating the winning entries this year by posting all the videos on our Instagram & Twitter, so give us a follow to make sure you don’t miss them!

If you missed Bright Ideas this year, but have an idea you’d like to pursue, book an appointment with one of the MEC Team.

If your idea is more established, consider submitting your idea to our Venture Further Awards Competition for your chance to win up to £15,000 for your start-up.