Applications open for the third year of Farm491’s successful mixed land use competition

The third year of our competition to encourage and support innovative and different uses for our land, which support nature friendly, multifunctional land use, has opened for applications today (Monday 3 August 2026).

The Farm491 Challenge Prize, originally launched in 2024 and generously supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, offers a £40,000 cash prize for the winning entry and £20,000 for the runner up.

Dr Karen Rial-Lovera, Co-Dean of Agricultural Science and Practice and Associate Professor of Agriculture at the RAU, is one of the judges and the academic ambassador for this year’s competition. She explained: “When we launched the competition three years ago, we originally planned to have a different theme every year.

“However, there has been so much interest in our original theme of Mixed Land Use that we have kept that going as out theme. We have had so many interesting applications over the last two years and we hope to see yet more this year. 

“The ongoing support from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation means that we are able to give meaningful cash prizes to companies which we believe are developing innovative ways to solve challenges in the natural world, enabling them to invest in their business and develop their product or service.” 

Entries for this year’s competition are open now and will close on Wednesday 30 September 2026. Businesses will then have the opportunity to pitch, on the theme of Mixed Land Use, later this year. As well as the cash prize, both the winner and runner up will also receive 12 months mentoring and business support from Farm491. 

Karen added: “The way we manage land will be critical to addressing some of the biggest challenges facing agriculture, from climate change and biodiversity loss to food security and rural resilience. Mixed land use offers an opportunity to deliver multiple benefits from the same landscape, integrating food production with nature recovery, renewable energy and other ecosystem services. 

“Through the Farm491 Challenge Prize, we are bringing together innovators, researchers, and industry to develop practical solutions that support productive, resilient and sustainable farming systems for the future.”

Once the application period has closed, a shortlist of companies will be invited to pitch to a judging panel of Dr Rial-Lovera; Chris Clark, partner in farm-based business management consultancy Nethergill Associates; and Stephanie Morren, Funding Manager at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Before facing the judges, they will be invited to an online workshop where expert business advisors will help them to develop a strong pitch, specifically focusing on the company’s vision and why their solution is unique. 

A final judging and awards event will be held at the headquarters of Farm491, the RAU’s innovation hub focused on the future of farming and food systems, on Friday 27 November 2026. 

Stephanie Morren, Funding Manager at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and one of the judges, said: “We are delighted to be supporting Farm491’s Challenge Prize for the third year. Supporting and enabling innovation that results in more multifunctional land use, with nature at its heart, is vital for tackling the environmental issues that are so important to us all.”

Professor Peter McCaffery, Vice-Chancellor of the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), said: ‘The RAU has been a university of purpose ever since our inception in 1845, working closely with farmers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to make a practical difference on the ground.

“Multi-functional land use is at the heart of the Government’s first ever ‘National Framework for Land Use in England’, launched earlier this year, and kick-starting new enterprises is, of course, never easy.

“We are delighted therefore to be continuing our collaboration, for the third-year running, with Esmée Fairbairn Foundation which has an outstanding record of supporting change makers in developing sustainable solutions to the global challenges that confront us all.”

For more information, and to enter, please visit our Farm491 Challenge Prize webpage here.