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For the seventh consecutive year, the Otto Mønsted Foundation is once again accepting applications from bachelor and master students, PhD students, postdocs and research groups from universities and others. The deadline for applications is 15 August.
The award recognises talent with the right innovative idea, product, process or solution. The award is not only a celebration of the winners’ work, but also to encourage and inspire this year’s winners to further develop their ideas.
Bright Idea 2025 is awarded in two categories and the jury will select one winner in each category to be honoured:
– dKK 250,000 for the best early-stage idea
– dKK 250,000 for the best late-stage idea
The applications will be judged based on these criteria:
- Excellent thinking, communication, analysis and documentation
- The degree of business vision and understanding
- The likelihood that the idea can be implemented
- The value and importance of the idea to the Danish business community
- The extent to which the idea can contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (NY)
The jury represents a broad field of high professionalism and knowledge about innovation with jury members from the business community, representatives from the Danish Export and Investment Fund, Bioinnovation Institute, universities and more.
The jury has previously awarded prizes to projects that have presented compelling solutions for recycling mixed textiles, optimising hydrogen as a fuel, combating plant diseases, developing new sustainable lightweight materials, using artificial intelligence in microchips, recycling concrete elements in construction and more.
Watch videos of previous award winners
Award ceremony 5 November 2025
The names of this year’s award winners will be revealed at an awards ceremony on 5 November on the Startup Stage at 16:00 at the Digital Tech Summit in Øksnehallen, Copenhagen. All six finalists (three in each category) will be invited to a networking dinner with past winners and representatives from the jury after the award ceremony. All finalists who do not win this year’s award will also receive a cash prize.
Applicants present their ideas via a digital application system on the foundation’s website, which you can read more about here.