NTU BSc Product Design graduate wins Young Talent Award at 10th International Design Intelligence Awards 2025
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) BSc Product Design Graduate Jake Inglis celebrates success at the 10th International Design Intelligence Awards 2025. From over 7000 global submissions, Jake was one of five UK winners in the global Top 37.
By Jon Duckworth | Published on 9 January 2026
Jake Inglis, a Nottingham Trent University (NTU) BSc Product Design graduate has been honoured with a 'Young Talent 'Award at the prestigious 10th International Design Intelligence Awards (DIA) 2025, one of the world’s leading design competitions.
Founded in 2015 by the China Academy of Art in collaboration with global partners, the DIA celebrates innovative, sustainable, and forward-thinking design solutions that address real-world challenges and improve lives. The competition brings together a global community of entrepreneurs, creatives, and innovators united by a shared mission: to connect cultures through design.
This year, from over 7,000 international submissions, Jake's project Morphopaedics stood out as one of only five UK winners and secured a place among the Top 37 global awardees. This was a landmark moment for UK innovation on the world biggest design stage.
Morphopaedics is a groundbreaking reimagining of the traditional orthopaedic cast, designed to enhance patient experience, clinical efficiency, and sustainability. Conventional plaster and fibreglass casts are often heavy, uncomfortable, and prone to hygiene issues, causing skin irritation and poor compliance. Morphopaedics offers a modern alternative: a lightweight, breathable, and water-resistant cast that is faster to apply and more comfortable to wear.
Engineered with advanced materials and a closed, non-modular design, Morphopaedics ensures structural integrity without the need for adjustments. Its breathable structure minimizes itching and odor, while water resistance allows patients to shower freely, significantly improving quality of life. Clinicians benefit from reduced application time, consistent fit, and fewer follow-up complications.
Beyond patient care, Morphopaedics champions sustainability by generating less medical waste and simplifying supply chains through streamlined sizing and production. By combining thoughtful design, material innovation, and patient-centred thinking, Morphopaedics aims to transform orthopaedic casting for both patients and healthcare providers.
Jake pictured with all the winners at the 2025 International Design Intelligence Awards.
Speaking about his experience taking part, Jake said:
"Attending the Design Intelligence Awards was a hugely rewarding experience and a significant milestone for Morphopaedics. Being recognised alongside such a high calibre of designers and innovators was both validating and motivating, reinforcing the importance of human-centred, clinically driven design within healthcare. Completing Morphopaedics as my major project on the BSc Product Design course at Nottingham Trent University and seeing it recognised on a global stage was particularly meaningful, demonstrating how the course supports ambitious, research-led projects with real-world impact. The event itself provided an invaluable opportunity to engage with industry professionals, academics, and fellow designers, sparking insightful conversations around the future of design, sustainability, and user experience.
"Receiving the award was a proud moment that highlighted the impact Morphopaedics aims to make in improving outcomes for patients and clinicians. The recognition has helped to raise the project’s profile, opening new discussions with potential collaborators, clinicians, and investors. It also served as a strong endorsement of the rigorous research, iterative development, and user-centred methodology embedded within the BSc Product Design programme at Nottingham Trent University, demonstrating how undergraduate study can translate into meaningful, industry-relevant innovation.
"Looking ahead, the focus for Morphopaedics is on progressing the project towards clinical validation and commercial readiness. This includes further engagement with healthcare professionals, refining the design for manufacture, and advancing regulatory planning, while continuing to prioritise patient comfort, safety, and usability. The momentum gained from the Design Intelligence Awards has been instrumental in driving the next phase of development, with the long-term goal of bringing a meaningful innovation to orthopaedic care."
BSc Product Design Final Year Lead Tutor, Dr Joseph Stewart reflected on Jake’s achievement:
"The Design Intelligence Award is the latest in a long line of accolades Jake has deservedly received over the past six months, adding to a first-class Honours Degree, Business Design Centre New Designer of the Year 2025, Design Innovation Plastics - Most Innovative Use of Plastic Award, and the 1851 Royal Commission Industrial Design Studentship (Imperial College, London). Having tutored Jake over the course of his Morphopaedics project at NTU, I can personally attest to his unrivalled work ethic and professional approach. This ultimately resulted in the creation of a product which has the potential to revolutionise orthopaedic medicine. I have no doubt that upon completion of his postgraduate studies, Jake will continue to achieve great things within the industry."