Upbeat
achievements

A £5,000 (about $6,800) Dyson prize for making reusable period care dignified

Massey University graduate Sophie West won New Zealand's James Dyson Award 2026 — £5,000 (about $6,800) — for Arla Gen II, a compact device that cleans and sterilises reusable menstrual cups without a shared kitchen or a pot of boiling water. Refined through at least 20 prototypes over two years, it now advances to the award's international shortlist, announced on 14 October.

The upbeat factortwenty prototypes of listening to users, rewarded — and headed to the world stage.
✓ Verified · Idealog · 2026-10-04 · New Zealand
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SDG 5 · Gender equality — Mechanism: tech innovation

Explore: Human Feats

The lift continues

water 550 village water centres now give 1.2 million Indians safe water every day health Vaccines have saved 2.6 million children's lives in Pakistan over five decades women Young women who built a financial tool for women won Bangladesh's Tech for Her hackathon

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