According to the event organizing committee, the 18th Next Star & Million Prize Global Challenge European Round—will take place in London on September 12, 2025. This year, the competition will continue to provide a global platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase their projects and connect with top-tier industrial resources and capital.
It is reported that the event has been successfully held 17 times so far, nurturing over 20,000 startups, including well-known tech companies such as DJI and Urovo. This year’s European round features a prize pool of over USD 2.9 million and offers specialized investment opportunities valued at more than USD 97 million.
The organizing committee revealed that the European round will highlight three key features:
Firstly, a professional jury composed of investment institutions, industry mentors, and experts has been formed; Secondly, a first-of-its-kind “Three-Dimensional Empowerment System” will provide winning projects with comprehensive support, including industry resource matchmaking, global market expansion, and policy assistance; Thirdly, winning teams will receive special policy support from the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone, including office space and housing subsidies.
The competition will adopt a “blind selection” mechanism by investors to ensure fairness and impartiality in the evaluation process. The preliminary screening for the European round has already been completed, with shortlisted contestants covering cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, biomedicine, and future tech.
The European regional competition will be held from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on September 12, 2025, at the Wellington Hotel by Blue Orchid in London. Experts from the investment, industrial, and academic sectors will gather to identify outstanding projects with innovative value and growth potential.