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Create technology to empower individuals living with various conditions and disabilities.

Technology for Living is now accepting applications from individuals and teams for the Simon Cox Student Design Competition – a design challenge to enhance the quality of life for people with physical challenges.

As participants of the 2026 Simon Cox Student Design Competition, teams will have access to several benefits; including access to Technology for Living PEERS, Biomedical Engineering Technologists and Innovation Strategist, to help validate their project. Along with the support of Technology for Living, teams will have the opportunity to win cash prizes totalling $8,000!

Criteria

Participant Criteria

The Simon Cox Design Competition is open to any student enrolled in a BC technical college or any undergraduate student enrolled in a BC University
All teams are eligible for the Peers’ Choice Award.

Judging Criteria

Submitted projects MUST be related to Assistive Technology and have a goal of increasing independence for people with physical disabilities
Accepted projects will be judged on the following criteria:
- Innovation (originality of design concept)
- Design Quality, including:
  - Mechanical Design
  - Electrical Design
  - Software Design
Usefulness to person with physical disability
Presentation that showcases the projects usefulness, design quality, and innovation, clearly and concisely

Working with a PEER (person with physical disability) is not mandatory, but feedback from a PEER is essential to creating a device that is useful to a person with physical disability. TFL PEERS are available to provide feedback at any point during your project.

If your project is a continuation of a project from a previous team/year, the previous version will be taken into consideration during judging. If the previous version won a Simon Cox Design Competition award, the current version will be ineligible to win a prize.

Awards

Simon Cox Principal Award (1st): $3,000
Achievement Award (2nd): $2,000
Innovation Award (3rd): $1,500
Peers’ Choice Award (open to all teams as voted on by persons with disabilties): $1,500

Competition Stage

Round One

Video by April 9, 2026

All participating teams must provide the link to a video presentation by April 9, 2026, as well as any other information they feel is relevant to provide the TFL finalist selection committee with a thorough understanding of their project. Students do not need to have completed their project by this date, but they need to send us information as to where they are as well as the improvements that will be made by the final presentation date. Based on the information provided, along with the video link, the TFL finalist selection committee will select several teams to enter stage two of the competition. These selected teams will each receive a $250 award for being a competition finalist and will present their final project in front of a judging panel, and other competition attendees, April 25, 2026 to compete in the final prize categories
All teams (not only finalist teams) will be offered a space to showcase their project at the live event on April 25, 2026 and will be eligible for the PEER’s Choice Award. Teams are required to let the Simon Cox Student Design Competition Committee know that they would like a free booth to display their project at the event
Prize winners will be announced on April 25, 2026 at the live event and a YouTube video will be released on May 5, 2026.

Round Two

Final Presentations and Awards April 25, 2026, Blusson Spinal Cord Centre

Finalist teams (determined during Round One) will present their project to the judging panel, and other interested PEERs, on April 25, 2026. Finalist teams will be given 15 minutes to present/demo their project. Only judges will be able to ask follow up questions during the team presentations. All other attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions at the teams’ booths before or after their presentation
Finalist teams that are not based in Metro Vancouver, will have the opportunity to give their final presentation virtually, upon approval from the Simon Cox Student Design Competition Committee
After watching the finalists’ presentations, the judging panel will select the award winners for the 2026 Simon Cox Student Design Competition
*Finalist teams must host a project booth, with the exception of non-local teams, where they will have the ability to demonstrate their projects and answer any questions from judges, PEERs, and attendees. Project booths will be available to all competition teams, not only finalists, and all teams are eligible to win the Peer’s Choice Award as voted on by peers.
To ensure there is space for attending teams to showcase their projects, teams are required to let the Simon Cox Student Design Competition Committee know they will be attending.

Final Presentation

In 2026 we will be showcasing the final results of the competition again at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre. Stay tuned for more information.

Important Dates 2025/2026

September 2025 / February 2026

Technology for Living peers and TIL team members will reach out to all student teams to offer support. The use of peers is highly encouraged in the design and development of the project and will be one factor taken into consideration by the judging panel.

February 12, 2026

Final day to submit the completed application form below is February 12, 2026.

Each team member is required to download and submit a ‘Simon Cox Student Design Competition Consent & Release’ form by February 12, 2026 via email. You must be a student of a BC academic institution.

April 9, 2026

A video submission presenting the project must be received by April 9, 2026. The video must be 2-5 minutes in length and should keep in mind the competition criteria. The video should include your projects technical information, how it benefits people with disabilities, how much you’ve worked with PEERs, what improvements will be made to the project by the final presentation date of April 25, 2026 and any other information you feel is relevant to the judges understanding of your project.

Please upload your video submission to YouTube and provide us with the link to your submission using the contact form. The purpose of this video submission is to assess projects and select which teams will move onto the final round of the competition.

April 14, 2026

Teams will be notified if they will be participating in Round Two.

April 25, 2026

This year’s event will take place at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre on 818-W 10th Ave, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9.

All teams are invited to make use of a table or an area to display and demonstrate their project entries.

May 5, 2026

At 10am the YouTube video of the event will be released.

Required Forms

All applicants need to fill out and submit the two forms applications below.

Students are encouraged to take photos or videos of their projects throughout the competition and forward them to the organizers with their final submission.

Complete Application Form

Download Release Form