In an effort to promote innovation and encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among our PhD students, the competition aims to inspire Doctoral Researchers to explore specific aspects of sport, health, and wellbeing and expand the boundaries of their individual research domains.
The competition hopes to encourage creative thinking and problem-solving within these crucial fields. All PhD students from any research area, either as individuals or in maximum groups of three from the same or different disciplines, are encouraged to participate.
The competition will launch on Friday 20 October, with the deadline for video submission on Monday 11 December at 12pm.
Further details on the submission requirements can be found below.
Participants must sign up and submit a maximum five-minute video in response to one of six significant questions in the field of sport, health, and wellbeing. The video does not need to provide a definitive solution but should serve as a compelling proposal for future research endeavours.
Participants can select one of the following questions as the basis for their video submission:
- How can the incorporation of data analytics and AI in the realms of sports, health, and wellbeing encourage individuals to engage in self-tracking and monitoring of their health and physical activity?
- What are the multifaceted factors influencing the incidence, severity, and long-term consequences of injuries in women's sports, and how can this knowledge be leveraged to develop more effective injury prevention and management strategies?
- What are the economic and societal advantages of investing in initiatives that promote physical and mental wellbeing through sports and recreational activities, and how can these benefits be maximised?
- How does the inclusivity of sports impact the overall health and long-term sustainability of sports communities or organisations?
- How does engineering research contribute to the creation of personalised healthcare solutions, tailored to meet the needs of individual patients?
- How can innovative approaches in sports management and marketing be leveraged to enhance the sustainability and global reach of sports franchises in the digital age?
Participants are encouraged to use readily available tools such as their smartphones, laptops, tablets, etc to record their videos. The focus will be on content, not quality of production. Participants may choose their preferred format for the video submission.
Judging criteria
The videos will be evaluated on five criteria:
- Content: The video shows informative and useful information, appropriate and relevant to the chosen topic with well-organised ideas.
- Originality: The video shows unique elaboration through independent and critical thinking.
- Engagement: The content of the video is conveyed in a manner that is easily comprehensible to a broad audience.
- Creativity and Presentation: Effectively utilise graphics, animations, or other visual aids to enhance comprehension and clarity.
- Impact: The proposed research in the video has the potential to make a significant and positive contribution to the theme.
The judging panel will be formed of experts in diverse domains related to sport, health, and well-being.
Prizes
All of the winners will be presented with a certificate as well as the following:
- First place: £200 Amazon voucher
- Second place: £100 Amazon voucher
- Third place: £50 Amazon voucher
The winners will be announced on Friday 26 January 2024, followed by a celebratory awards event on Friday 2 February 2024.
Videos produced by the award recipients may be disseminated, and all awardees will be invited to participate in an award ceremony.
Dr Diwei Zhou, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor for Sport, Health and Wellbeing, said: “This competition serves as a platform for PhD students to share their innovative ideas, collaborate across disciplines, and contribute to the advancement of sport, health, and wellbeing. We look forward to seeing the imaginative and impactful ideas our PhD students will bring to the PhD ThinkBig Competition."
Sign up to the competition and upload your video.
For more information about the competition please contact Erika Huertas del Pino, Strategic Support Administrative Assistant.