Farm491 Challenge Prize Series Launched

We are delighted to announce the launch of an exciting new competition to encourage and support companies fostering innovation in our natural world.

Generously supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, our three-year Farm491 Challenge Prize series will enable companies, which are developing innovative ways to solve challenges in the natural world, to invest in their business and develop their product.

For the first year of the Farm491 Challenge Prize series, the challenge is ‘Mixed Land Use’.

Land is under unprecedented pressure in the UK and globally, to make space for carbon sequestration, biodiversity, food and energy production, and housing, and one of the possible solutions is to stack land uses, finding synergies that mitigate this resource competition.

We are looking for companies that are developing innovative products and services to support nature friendly, multifunctional land use. These could include enabling agroforestry, regenerative and productive housing development, intercropping food and non-food crops, or co-producing food and renewables.

Entries for this year’s competition are open now and will close on 27 September 2024.

Companies who have been shortlisted will be notified by 9 October 2024 and this will be followed by an online pitching workshop for shortlisted companies which will take place in November.

The event will culminate in a Pitching Day held at Farm491 HQ at The Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester on 5 December 2024 where the winner and runner-up of the 2024 Farm491 Challenge Prize will be selected by a panel of academics and industry experts.

The winner will receive an incredible £50k and the runner-up £25k to advance their businesses.

Further details, eligibility criteria, terms and conditions and application form can be found here.