Essential Lab: Student App Challenge
Nothing
Essential Lab: Student App Challenge: Stages and Timelines
Build one personal app using AI
Participants who register interest on Playground and are selected will receive access to the contest environment. Once live, creators have 24 hours to build and publish one Essential App using the Essential Apps Builder. All eligible submissions will be reviewed by the jury, with the Top 50 shortlisted creators and final winners announced after evaluation.
All that you need to know about Essential Lab: Student App Challenge
About Nothing:
Nothing exists to make tech feel exciting again.
Founded in London in 2020, Nothing is a design-led tech company building an alternative to the industry giants. Our products, from award-winning smartphones to expressive audio and wearables, blend iconic design with intuitive engineering to put people and creativity back at the centre to consumer tech.
Eligibility Criteria:
- The competition is open to students globally.
- Participants must be currently enrolled in a recognised educational institution
- No prior coding experience is required
Guidelines:
- This is an individual participation challenge
- Team entries are not permitted
- Each participant can submit only one Essential App
- The app must be conceptualised, created, and published by the individual participant
Competition Structure:
- Participants must register interest on Playground
- Selected students will receive a confirmation email with contest access details
- Once the contest goes live, participants will get 24 hours to:
- Access the Essential Apps Builder
- Create one Essential App using natural language prompts
- Refine and publish the app within the contest environment
- Only apps created and published within the 24-hour window will be considered
- After submission:
- Entries will go through a judging period
- Top 50 shortlisted creators will be announced
- Final winners will be declared after evaluation by the jury panel
Prizes & Rewards:
Top 5 Winners:
- Chance to win Nothing Phone(3) - our latest device built around Essential
- Receive exclusive Nothing merchandise, designed for the community
- Get featured on the Essential X account, spotlighting your work to a global audience
- Join the Essential Network, unlocking early access to new features and opportunities
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Be considered for potential internship opportunities with the Nothing team.
Top 50 Shortlisted Creators:
- Receive exclusive Nothing merchandise
- Get featured on Playground, showcasing your app to the wider Nothing community
- Join the Essential Network for early access and insider updates
- Unlock special discounts on Nothing products
Terms & Conditions:
- All decisions in matters of eligibility, authenticity & final judgments will be with Nothing.
- Participants can submit only one Essential App
- The app must be built exclusively using the Essential Apps Builder
- App creation and publishing must take place within the official contest window
- Incomplete or unpublished apps will not be considered
- Nothing reserves the right to disqualify entries that violate contest rules
- Decisions made by the judging panel are final and binding
- By participating, entrants agree to allow Nothing to feature their apps and profiles for promotional purposes.
Important dates & deadlines?
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14 Feb'26, 03:00 PM IST Registration Deadline
Rewards and Prizes?
Top 5 Winners
Winners receive a Phone, exclusive merchandise, a feature on the Essential X account, potential internship opportunities and early access via the Essential Network.
Top 50
Unlock exclusive merchandise, special discounts on Nothing products, a feature on Playground, and early access via the Essential Network.
About Nothing
Nothing Technology Limited, commonly referred to as Nothing, is a London-based consumer electronics company founded in 2020 by Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus. The brand emerged with a bold vision: to make tech fun again by creating products that blend aesthetics, innovation, and user-centric design. With a strong emphasis on transparency, both in product design and communication, Nothing positions itself as a disruptive force in the otherwise saturated consumer tech market.
Founding Philosophy and Vision
Carl Pei launched Nothing with the belief that the tech industry had become stagnant and uninspired. His goal was to remove barriers between people and technology by crafting products that are intuitive, beautifully designed, and rooted in essential functionality.
Nothing’s vision is to build a seamless digital future, where technology feels natural and integrated into everyday life. Unlike competitors focused solely on specs, Nothing’s approach combines hardware, software, and design into a single ecosystem, something it describes as “an ecosystem of iconic, user-friendly tech devices.”
Design Ethos
Nothing has carved a niche for itself by being a design-led company. Every product embodies:
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Transparency – Literally and figuratively. The products often have see-through parts that expose internal components.
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Minimalism – A clean, modern aesthetic that avoids unnecessary embellishments.
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Functionality – UI/UX design is given as much importance as the hardware.
The visual identity and product packaging are equally thoughtful, created in collaboration with global design studios and artists.
Ecosystem Approach
Nothing aims to create a connected product ecosystem, similar to what Apple offers. By controlling both hardware and software via the Nothing OS, they offer:
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Seamless integration across devices.
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A consistent design language.
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Custom features like glyph notifications, dot matrix interface, and integration with third-party services.
Nothing OS is built on Android, but with an ultra-minimal skin that enhances user experience without bloating the system.
Investors and Community
Nothing has raised funding from a mix of traditional venture capital and community members. Notable investors include:
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GV (formerly Google Ventures)
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Tony Fadell (iPod inventor)
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Kevin Lin (co-founder of Twitch)
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Casey Neistat (YouTuber)
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Steve Huffman (Reddit CEO)
In 2021, Nothing also launched a community investment round, allowing fans and users to buy equity and become part of its journey, reinforcing its brand message of transparency and community.
Marketing and Positioning
Nothing’s branding stands out through:
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Cryptic Teasers – Building hype through mystery and minimal reveals.
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Design-First Campaigns – Centered around visual storytelling and product aesthetics.
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Pop Culture Relevance – Collaborations with artists, influencers, and a strong social media presence.
Its product launches feel more like design exhibitions than tech unveilings, reflecting the company’s positioning between tech and lifestyle.
Sustainability
Nothing is conscious about its environmental impact:
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Products are made using recycled materials.
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Packaging is entirely plastic-free.
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The company is transparent about carbon emissions associated with each device.