An exciting nationwide design competition to find fun new ways to travel has been announced by Fiat Group Automobiles UK, starting today.

An exciting nationwide design competition to find fun new ways to travel has been announced by Fiat Group Automobiles UK, starting today.

The contest, called the Smiles Per Hour Design Competition, is a UK-wide search for budding inventors of tomorrow to create interesting and amusing ways to enjoy a journey. And there’s a £50,000 top prize for the best submission.

Under the rules of the competition the invention has to be a ‘transporter’ of some description – or a gadget or gismo that makes travelling more enjoyable. It can be based on traditional travel methods – a bike, trike, skates, a pogo stick, dinghy, or even moving stairs – but it must make travelling more fun.

Fiat, famous for its stylish and versatile cars such as the iconic Fiat 500, believes that travel should be a fun experience. And the company has signed top TV presenter Suzi Perry from TV’s The Gadget Show to support the competition and drive home its message.

“What a fantastic challenge!” says Suzi. “We’re famous in this country for our great inventors, and I’m sure today’s budding designers can match them all the way. The Fiat Smiles Per Hour Design Competition is bound to generate some fantastic prototypes that, one way or another, can make getting from A to B more fun.”

“We want entries from inventors of all ages from all over the country,” adds Elena Bernardelli, marketing director, Fiat Group Automobiles UK. “Fiat has always made the travel experience more fun. Our cars are styled for fun and functionality – and they are fitted with Fiat’s innovative Blue&Me hands-free entertainment and communication system to make any journey more enjoyable. We can’t wait to see some great prototypes that go on to become marketable products in their own right.”