Joy Lab Invites Sunderland and South Tyneside to Invent for happiness.

Anyone in the region can get involved by visiting www.joylab.org.uk, where they can find out more and upload their invention idea.

The deadline for submissions is 17 May 2026.

Joy Lab is open to everyone - children, young people, adults and older residents - whether submitting as individuals, families, community groups or schools. Participants simply need to draw and describe their invention idea and upload it via the website. Every submission will be featured on the Joy Lab microsite, and each inventor will receive a personalised response from the team.

Alongside open submissions, creative workshops will take place in schools, libraries, care homes, Family Hubs and community spaces across the region to spark ideas and widen participation.

From the ideas submitted, a community panel and creative experts will select 10 joyful inventions to be brought to life and showcased in two public exhibitions - one in Sunderland and one in South Tyneside - in summer 2026.

Joy Lab marks ten years since the founding of Little Inventors, the organisation that grew out of the internationally recognised 2016 Sunderland project INVENTORS! A decade on, the milestone is being celebrated not by looking back, but by inviting communities of all ages to imagine something joyful together.

The project is supported by Arts Council England, The Cultural Spring, South Tyneside Council, the University of Sunderland and Sunderland Culture, and will prioritise engagement in wards identified as among the most deprived and culturally underserved in the region.

Dominic Wilcox, Founder of Little Inventors and Joy Lab, said:

“Joy Lab is for everyone. You don’t need to be an engineer or an artist - just someone with an idea that could bring a moment of happiness to someone. We’re inviting the whole region to imagine something joyful and share it.”

To take part, visit www.joylab.org.uk before 17 May 2026.