23 September 2025

University’s innovative land use competition opens to applications for its second year

A successful competition to encourage and support companies fostering innovation in our natural world, in particular in relation to land use, has returned for a second year.

Launched last year by Farm491, the Royal Agricultural University’s innovation hub focused on the future of farming and food systems, and generously supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, the Farm491 Challenge Prize awards cash prizes to companies which are developing innovative ways to solve challenges in the natural world, enabling them to invest in their business and develop their product or service.

Businesses will have the opportunity to pitch, on a theme of Mixed Land Use, for a prize of £40k for the winning entry and £20k for the runner up, to advance their business. Both the winner and runner up will also receive 12 months mentoring and business support from Farm491. Entries for this year’s competition are open now and will close on Thursday 23rd October.

Dr Katharina Watson, RAU Associate Professor and the University’s lead for the UK's Land Use for Net Zero (LUNZ) Hub, is the Challenge Prize’s academic ambassador for this year.

She explained: “Innovation in land management is essential to address climate change and reverse declines in biodiversity while ensuring food security, globally and in the UK.

“With ever increasing pressures on the land to provide all, a possible solution is to develop products and services which enable the stacking of land uses in a way that helps to mitigate this resource competition.

“The multifunctional land uses which support this, whilst remaining nature friendly, could include agroforestry, regenerative housing development, intercropping food and non-food crops, or co-producing food and renewables.”

Once entries close, a shortlist of six companies will be invited to pitch to the judging panel at a final judging and awards event held at the Farm491 HQ in Cirencester in early December.

Before facing the judges, the finalists will be invited to attend 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.

Organiser Verity Payne, Operations and Events Manager at Farm491, said: “We are delighted to be running this competition for the second year and really look forward to seeing a wide range of interesting and innovative entries as we have previously.

“This year the Challenge is growing and we have added an applicant webinar, which will take place on Friday 3rd October, to allow companies to ask questions and seek any clarifications ahead of submitting their entries.

“The Grand Finale event in December will see the successful shortlisted businesses pitch not just to our judges but also to a hand-picked audience of investors, decision-makers, and agricultural influencers.”

Stephanie Morren, Funding Manager at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, added: ‘"We're really excited to be working with Farm491 at the Royal Agricultural university for the second year on the Challenge Prize. By providing support like this, we hope that together we can catalyse really innovative, practical solutions to the environmental crises that we are all facing."

Professor Peter McCaffery, Vice-Chancellor of the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), said: ‘’Ever since it was founded as the Royal Agricultural College - 180 years ago this very year - the RAU has been a university of purpose, working closely with farmers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to make a practical difference on the ground.

“Cultivating and caring for the land is at the very heart of what we do – indeed, our Latin motto ‘Arvorum Cultus Pecorumque’ translates as ‘Caring for the Fields and the Beasts’ – and we are delighted to continue our collaboration with Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, which has an exceptional record of supporting changemakers, in the second year of this challenge prize.’’

For more information, and to enter, please visit the Farm491 website at https://farm491.com/farm491challenge/