£40,000 prize opens for mixed land use innovators

Businesses developing new ways to combine farming, nature recovery and renewable energy can apply for a £40,000 prize until 30 September.

Applications are now open for the third annual Farm491 Challenge Prize, run by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) with support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

The competition is seeking practical and innovative approaches to mixed land use.

Mixed land use involves managing the same landscape for several purposes, such as food production, wildlife recovery, renewable energy and wider environmental benefits.

The winning business will receive £40,000, while the runner-up will be awarded £20,000.

The winner and runner-up will also receive 12 months of mentoring and business support from Farm491, the RAU’s innovation hub for farming and food systems.

The Challenge Prize was launched in 2024 and was initially expected to have a different theme each year.

However, organisers have retained mixed land use for a third year following strong interest from applicants.

Dr Karen Rial-Lovera, co-dean of Agricultural Science and Practice and associate professor of agriculture at the RAU, is a judge and the academic ambassador for this year’s competition.

She said: “We have had so many interesting applications over the last two years and we hope to see yet more this year.”

Dr Rial-Lovera said support from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation allowed the competition to provide meaningful investment to businesses developing solutions to environmental and agricultural challenges.

She said land management would be central to addressing climate change, biodiversity loss, food security and rural resilience.

“Mixed land use offers an opportunity to deliver multiple benefits from the same landscape, integrating food production with nature recovery, renewable energy and other ecosystem services,” she said.

“Through the Farm491 Challenge Prize, we are bringing together innovators, researchers, and industry to develop practical solutions that support productive, resilient and sustainable farming systems for the future.”

Applications will close on Wednesday 30 September 2026.

Shortlisted businesses will then attend an online workshop with specialist business advisers before presenting their proposals to the judging panel.

The workshop will help entrants strengthen their pitches, explain their vision and demonstrate what makes their solution distinctive.

Alongside Dr Rial-Lovera, the judging panel will include Chris Clark, a partner at farm-based business management consultancy Nethergill Associates, and Stephanie Morren, funding manager at the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Morren said: “We are delighted to be supporting Farm491's Challenge Prize for the third year.”

She added: “Supporting and enabling innovation that results in more multifunctional land use, with nature at its heart, is vital for tackling the environmental issues that are so important to us all.”

Professor Peter McCaffery, vice-chancellor of the RAU, said the university had worked with farmers, entrepreneurs and innovators to create practical change since its establishment in 1845.

He also pointed to the growing importance of multifunctional land use in government policy and the challenges faced by new rural enterprises.

The final judging and awards event will be held at Farm491’s headquarters on Friday 27 November 2026.

Applications close on 30 September, with further information and entry details available at https://farm491.com/farm491challenge/