Judging the BPIA Concept and Innovation Awards: there is always one product that stands out
I always think it is a real privilege to be asked to sit on an awards judging panel, and last Friday was no exception. I was asked to help judge the BPIA Concept and Innovation Awards. To be clear about what that involved, Friday was the shortlisting round, the one that decides which three concepts go forward. The final judging happens at The Harrogate Nursery Fair next month, in front of a different set of eyes, and the winner is announced there.
What I enjoy most about it is not the scoring. It is listening to founders talk about why they created their business in the first place. Particularly when someone believes they have found a genuine gap in the market, and they can explain how they intend to solve that problem for babies and for parents. You get to hear the thinking before the polish, which is a rare thing in this industry. Most of the time we meet each other's products long after all the decisions have been made.
Inevitably, some ideas are more thoroughly thought through than others, and for me that is the most exciting part of judging rather than the frustrating part. The well developed ones always seem to bubble to the top. You do not have to go looking for them.
Then, once the pitches are finished, the judges give their feedback and scores. Our job was not to pick a winner. It was to agree which three concepts go through. In my experience of judging generally, there is usually one that is outstanding and that everybody agrees on, and it is as you move down the list that the genuinely interesting discussions start, because that is where judges begin weighing different things: one of us looking hardest at whether it can actually be made, another at the consumer need, another at whether the idea survives contact with a real supply chain. I am pleased to say that when it came to the three that went through, we were all in agreement.
The BPIA has now announced those three, so I can tell you who they are. Eimear Campbell, with Swishroll, an ingenious aid for cleaning stroller wheels. Natasha Artwell, with Little Pair, a new concept in portable support for twins. And Hegen, with a multifunctional premium feeding and drinkware system. Congratulations to all three, and genuinely well done to everybody who put themselves in front of that panel.
All three will be showcased on the BPIA Concept and Innovation stand, opposite the association's own stand C15, throughout Harrogate International Nursery Fair. Final judging takes place at the show itself, and the winner will be announced on Sunday the 18th of October. So I do not know who wins, and nor does anybody else yet. Go and look at all three while you are there and make up your own mind.
What I will say, and this is the part I would want any founder reading this to take from it, is that entering something like this is worth far more than the prize itself. The BPIA describes these awards as a chance for innovators across the baby products industry to gain recognition and support, and they are open to a start up, an inventor, an entrepreneur or an established brand with a fresh idea. The awards are sponsored by Brabners, the specialist law firm with expertise in intellectual property and product compliance, and in the BPIA's own words the winner receives one thousand pounds worth of legal advice from Brabners, alongside a product development support session from Plan A Product Development and a mentoring session with Marc Hardenberg, Chair of the BPIA. That is a genuinely useful package for somebody sitting on an idea with no budget and nobody senior to ask.
But the real value is the time you spend in front of people who have spent their careers in this industry, and the feedback you get at the end of it. Most founders in maternity, baby and children's products are working without anybody around them who will tell them the truth about their product. An awards panel is one of the very few structures that hands you that for free. I have said this before about awards and I will keep saying it: the trophy is not the prize. The prize is finding out what an experienced room actually thinks, while you can still do something about it.
If you are sitting on an idea you have not shown anybody yet, that is the reason to enter next year. Not to win. To hear industry expert feedback.
If you are going to Harrogate
Harrogate International Nursery Fair runs Sunday the 18th to Tuesday the 20th of October at the Harrogate Convention Centre. Doors open at half past nine on the Sunday and Monday and it closes at four on the Tuesday. It is trade only and registration is free online. New this year is a New Brands Zone in Hall C, built for start ups and smaller companies, with a fully supported stand package starting at eight hundred and eighty five pounds for a two by two metre shell scheme. If you have never exhibited at Harrogate because you assumed it was not for a business your size, that assumption is now out of date. There is also a new talks programme running short sessions across all three days. The show returns on the 17th to the 19th of October 2027.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What are the BPIA Concept and Innovation Awards?
They are run by the Baby Products Industry Association and recognise new product ideas, inventions and breakthrough concepts across the baby products industry. Judging happens in two stages. Shortlisted entrants first present to a panel, which selects three finalists. Those three are then showcased at Harrogate International Nursery Fair, where final judging takes place and the winner is announced.
Who can enter?
The BPIA describes the awards as open to a start up, an inventor, an entrepreneur or an established brand with a fresh idea. Entry is free. Entries for 2026 closed on the 11th of September.
What does the winner receive?
One thousand pounds worth of legal advice from Brabners, the specialist law firm sponsoring the awards, alongside a product development support session from Plan A Product Development and a mentoring session with Marc Hardenberg, Chair of the BPIA.
Who are the 2026 finalists?
The BPIA announced three finalists on the 28th of September 2026: Eimear Campbell with Swishroll, an aid for cleaning stroller wheels; Natasha Artwell with Little Pair, a concept in portable support for twins; and Hegen, with a multifunctional premium feeding and drinkware system. All three are showcased at Harrogate International Nursery Fair, where final judging takes place and the winner is announced on Sunday the 18th of October 2026.
Is it worth entering if I do not think I will win?
Yes, and that is the honest answer rather than the encouraging one. Most founders in this sector have nobody senior around them who will tell them the truth about their product. Presenting to an experienced panel and receiving their feedback is worth more than the trophy, and you get it whether you win or not.
If you are preparing to pitch a panel, a buyer or an investor and you want someone to tell you honestly what is working and what is not, that is exactly the kind of conversation we have at The Nest. Come and talk to us.
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