Need

The University of East London (UEL), through its ELUmination Programme, is seeking innovative proposals for a distinctive and recognisable sonic identity system for the University.

Universities today operate in an increasingly digital and competitive environment, where strong institutional brands rely not only on visual identity but also on memorable experiences that foster emotional connection and recognition. While many organisations have successfully adopted sonic branding to strengthen engagement across digital channels, events and communications, traditional institutional music often struggles to resonate with contemporary and culturally diverse audiences.

As one of the most diverse and forward-thinking universities in the United Kingdom, UEL seeks to explore how sound, music and audio branding can help express the University's values of Passion, Courage and Inclusion while reflecting the dynamic and multicultural character of East London.

The University of East London is using open innovation to identify an original sonic identity system that can be used across the UEL ecosystem, including ceremonies, events, student initiatives, podcasts, promotional content, social media, digital communications and community engagement activities. The selected solution should create a consistent and memorable audio experience capable of strengthening institutional recognition, community belonging and audience engagement.

The objective of this Challenge is to identify a practical, adaptable and emotionally engaging sonic identity that can serve as the University's long-term sonic identity. Solvers are encouraged to demonstrate how their proposed identity would function across different environments and formats. Solutions may include melodies, sonic logos, musical motifs, rhythmic signatures, soundscapes or combinations of audio elements that together create a distinctive and memorable representation of the University of East London.

Prize/IP

An award of £1,000 is available for this Challenge. UEL reserves the right to recognise exceptional submissions and may invite selected participants to engage in further discussions regarding implementation, collaboration or future creative opportunities associated with the University's sonic branding activities.

This Challenge requires an audio-based submission accompanied by a written rationale. Awards will be contingent upon evaluation of the submission against the stated Solution Requirements.

Your IP Rights are protected in this Prize Challenge; UEL must pay you an award to obtain them.

The best solution has the opportunity to win the award of £1,000 for meeting the must have solution requirements. This Challenge requires a written proposal and relevant, accessible files to be submitted and Awards will be contingent upon the theoretical evaluation of your proposal by UEL against the Solution Requirements.

Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on October 31, 2026.

Please review the later Participation Guidance section before submitting a proposal.

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Seeker & Eligibility

The University of East London (UEL) is a careers-first university committed to innovation, inclusion and positive social impact. Through the ELUmination Programme and its partnership with Wazoku, UEL is using open innovation to identify a distinctive sonic identity that can represent the University across its communications, events and community activities.

The Challenge also forms part of UEL's ELUmination Programme, a new open innovation initiative designed to connect students, researchers, professionals and external organisations to solve real-world challenges through collaboration and entrepreneurial thinking. Through ELUmination, UEL is creating opportunities for participants to engage with live innovation challenges, develop practical solutions and contribute to meaningful social, technological and organisational impact through open innovation.

Learn more about the ELUmination Programme: https://www.uel.ac.uk/study/professional-development-short-courses/innovation-impact-real-world-problem-solving-through-open-innovation

This Challenge is only open to students, researchers, teams, and departments affiliated with the University of East London. Participants may enter individually or as part of a team.

Challenge

Background

Sound plays an increasingly important role in how organisations communicate, engage audiences and create memorable experiences. Many leading brands, institutions and organisations use sonic identities to strengthen recognition, build emotional connections and create consistency across digital and physical touchpoints.

The University of East London (UEL) has a strong visual identity and established reputation as a diverse, innovative and inclusive institution. However, the University currently does not have a unified sonic identity that can be consistently used across its communications, events and activities.

As UEL continues to expand its digital presence and engagement with students, staff, alumni and external audiences, there is an opportunity to develop a distinctive sonic identity that reflects the University's values of Passion, Courage and Inclusion while celebrating the diverse and multicultural character of East London.

A sonic identity can help create stronger recognition and emotional engagement across multiple touchpoints, ensuring a consistent and memorable experience throughout the UEL ecosystem.

UEL is therefore seeking a long-term sonic identity system that can provide consistency across communications, strengthen brand recognition and create a stronger sense of connection with its diverse audiences.

Interpreting UEL's Values

Participants should consider how their sonic identity may express the University's values:

• Passion – energy, aspiration, achievement and momentum.
• Courage – confidence, innovation, ambition and forward thinking.
• Inclusion – diversity, community, accessibility and belonging.

The Challenge

How can a distinctive sonic identity system be created that enables the University of East London to be instantly recognisable through sound while authentically expressing its values of Passion, Courage and Inclusion and the multicultural character of East London?

The proposed solution should demonstrate how sound can communicate the University's values, strengthen institutional recognition and create a sense of belonging across the UEL community. Solutions should be capable of functioning across a variety of environments, from graduation ceremonies and official events to podcasts, videos, social media and student-led activities.

Participants may propose acoustic, electronic, hybrid or AI-assisted approaches. Solutions may include melodies, sonic logos, musical motifs, rhythmic signatures, soundscapes or combinations of audio elements that together create a distinctive and recognisable representation of the University of East London.

The sonic identity should be adaptable, memorable and suitable for long-term institutional use. It should remain recognisable across different arrangements, formats and platforms while maintaining a clear connection to UEL's values and identity.

The ultimate goal of this Challenge is to identify a distinctive sonic identity that can strengthen engagement, recognition and community connection across the University of East London for years to come.

Solution Requirements

Submissions should clearly articulate and demonstrate how the proposed sonic identity reflects the values, character and aspirations of the University of East London, while providing a distinctive and memorable sonic identity system that can be used across a wide range of institutional activities and communications.

Desired Outcomes

UEL is seeking a complete sonic identity system that can be consistently deployed across its communications, events and digital platforms.

1. 
   
   1. A Core Melody (5–15 seconds).
   2. A Sonic Logo (1–3 seconds).
   3. An Extended Brand Theme (30–60 seconds).
   4. At least two adaptation examples demonstrating how the sonic identity could be applied across different University contexts such as graduation ceremonies, podcasts, student recruitment, social media or events.

Any successful solution to the Challenge must meet the following must-have requirements:

1. Deliver all Desired Outcomes described in this Challenge.
2. Clearly align with UEL's values of Passion, Courage and Inclusion while reflecting the diverse, contemporary and multicultural character of East London.
3. Demonstrate how the sonic identity can function effectively across multiple environments and use cases, including ceremonies, events, podcasts, social media, promotional content, student initiatives and digital communications.
4. Be distinctive, memorable and suitable for long-term institutional use.
5. Include a written rationale explaining the creative concept, intended emotional impact and relationship to UEL's brand and values.

Additionally, UEL welcomes solutions that demonstrate adaptability across different formats, consideration of innovative production approaches, and evidence of audience resonance or long-term adoption potential.

Evaluation Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated against:

Maturity Levels

Participants may submit:

• Concept-stage ideas
• Prototype compositions
• Fully produced sonic identity systems

Fully developed solutions are preferred but not required.

Solutions Should Avoid

• Generic corporate stock music
• Music strongly associated with another institution or brand
• Copyrighted or licensed material
• Excessive complexity that reduces recognisability
• Stereotypical representations of cultural diversity
• Audio elements that may create accessibility concerns

This Prize Challenge has the following features:

1. The winning submission will receive an award of £1,000.
2. This Challenge requires an audio-based submission and written rationale to be submitted. Awards will be contingent upon evaluation of submissions by the University of East London against the stated Solution Requirements.
3. Your IP Rights are protected in this Prize Challenge; UEL must pay you an award to obtain them.
4. The best solution has the opportunity to win the award of £1,000 for meeting the must have solution requirements. This Challenge requires a written proposal and relevant, accessible files to be submitted and Awards will be contingent upon the theoretical evaluation of your proposal by UEL against the Solution Requirements. The University of East London reserves the right to adapt, modify, reproduce, distribute, perform, publish, implement and otherwise use the selected and awarded sonic identity across institutional platforms, programmes, events, communications, marketing materials and promotional activities.
5. Solvers may submit original or collaborative works and may use AI-assisted creative processes provided these are disclosed and comply with all applicable intellectual property requirements.
6. UEL may also issue “Honourable Mention” recognitions for notable submissions that are not selected for monetary awards.

Your Submission

Please login and register your interest, to complete the submission form.

The submitted proposals must be written in English and can include:

1. Participation type – you will first be asked to inform us how you are participating in this challenge, as a Solver (Individual) or Solver (Organization).
2. Audio files containing the Core Melody, Sonic Logo and Extended Brand Theme described in the Desired Outcomes section.
3. At least two adaptation examples demonstrating how the sonic identity could be applied within different University contexts.
4. A written rationale (maximum two pages) explaining the creative concept, relationship to UEL's values, intended audience impact and production approach.
5. Any optional supporting materials that help explain or strengthen the submission, such as notation, production notes, visual concepts, brand application examples or audience feedback
6. Attachments – used to submit your audio files, either through a .zip attachment, or a link to an open, unlocked, or otherwise accessible YouTube/Vimeo/SoundCloud (or other web-hosting) of your recording and files.

Participation Guidance

1. Submission Close Date: Submissions to this Challenge must be received by 11:59 PM (US Eastern Time) on October 31, 2026.
2. This Challenge is only open to students, researchers, teams, and departments affiliated with the University of East London. Participants may enter individually or as part of a team.
3. Late submissions: Late submissions will not be considered.
4. Multiple submissions, 3 Maximum: In case of multiple submissions by the same Solver, only 3 submissions – the final 3 submitted – will be considered. Any other submissions will be deleted prior to evaluation.
5. Submission form and attachments: Your submission will be evaluated by the evaluation team first reviewing the information and content you have submitted at the submission form, with attachments used as additional context to your form submission. Submissions relying solely on attachments will receive less attention from the evaluation team.
6. Evaluation notification steps: After the Challenge submission close date, UEL will review and select the winning ideas/solutions according to the timeline in the Challenge header. Everyone who submits a proposal will be notified about the status of their submissions.
7. Use of AI: AI-assisted creative processes are permitted. Participants should clearly disclose how AI tools were used in the creation of their submission.
8. Originality Requirement: All submissions must be original work and must not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.
9. Learn more: Find out more about participation in Innocentive Challenges.