The Victoria and Albert Museum has announced that trailblazing athlete and television personality Karenjeet Kaur Bains will join the judging panel for the upcoming V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge 2026–27. Best known to television audiences as "Athena" on the hit BBC series Gladiators, Bains brings a wealth of high-performance athletic experience, a passion for community empowerment, and a deep appreciation for practical design to the prestigious national competition.
Beyond her prominent television role, Bains has carved out a pioneering path in professional sports. She captured the junior title at the Commonwealth Powerlifting Championships and made history by becoming the first British Sikh woman to represent her country at both the European and World powerlifting championships. Alongside her elite sporting career, she operates as an online fitness coach, dedicating her time to helping her audience achieve personal wellness goals and actively working to empower South Asian women through fitness and breaking down traditional barriers.
In an exclusive interview following the announcement of her role on the panel, Bains shared her perspectives on what makes design vital to modern life, how the competition’s core themes resonate with her personal journey, and what she hopes to see from the nation’s young creative minds.
Bringing an Athlete’s Mindset to Student Innovation
Discussing what she is most looking forward to as a V&A Innovate judge, Bains emphasized the parallels between high-level athletic training and creative problem-solving. She noted that she is eager to witness the sheer creativity and imagination of participating students as they confront real-world challenges through design.
As an athlete, Bains explained, she is constantly evaluating ways to enhance performance, overcome physical and mental hurdles, and discover effective solutions to complex problems. She expressed excitement at seeing how students apply that exact analytical and resilient mindset through their design projects. Furthermore, Bains hopes her presence on the panel will encourage students to believe fiercely in their own concepts, think well outside conventional boundaries, and recognize that their youthful ideas carry genuine potential to spark meaningful change in society.
The national challenge centres its 2026–27 competition around three distinct guiding themes: Simplify, Empower, and Nurture. For Bains, these concepts hold deep personal and professional significance, serving as a blueprint for making a positive impact on the world.
Elaborating on the themes, Bains described "Simplify" as the art of finding streamlined ways to make daily tasks, systems, or objects easier, more efficient, and more accessible to everyone. She defined "Empower" as the vital process of equipping people with the necessary confidence, tools, and open opportunities to reach their absolute fullest potential. Finally, she viewed "Nurture" as the essential practice of cultivating supportive environments where individuals can continuously learn, grow, and develop. Reflecting on her own sporting career, she noted that she has personally experienced how critical it is to receive the right mentorship, maintain self-belief, and persistently pursue self-improvement. These themes, in her view, serve as a timely reminder that even modest, thoughtful changes can exert a profound, positive influence on an individual’s life.
The Intersection of Design, Sport, and Everyday Life
When asked why design holds personal importance for her, Bains highlighted its fundamental role in transforming abstract concepts into tangible, practical solutions capable of elevating human experiences. She pointed out that within the realm of elite sports, the meticulous design of training equipment, specialized athletic spaces, and emerging technology can mean the difference between average results and peak performance, while also deeply influencing safety and accessibility.
As someone who continually seeks out methods for personal and professional enhancement, Bains expressed a profound appreciation for how thoughtful design can resolve problems that everyday users might not even consciously realize exist. She stressed that truly effective design transcends mere aesthetics, requiring a fundamental understanding of human beings and their genuine needs rather than simply focusing on making an object look appealing.
Reflecting on the modern innovations she relies on to manage her demanding professional life, Bains admitted that her smartphone is the single invention she could not live without. Operating multiple roles as an elite athlete, television personality, and online fitness coach requires constant coordination. Her smartphone enables her to seamlessly manage her coaching business, communicate directly with clients, meticulously track her rigorous training sessions, create digital content, and stay connected with supporters regardless of her physical location. For Bains, this device serves as a prime, everyday example of how thoughtful technological innovation can successfully simplify complex routines and free up vital time to concentrate on what truly matters.
Advice for Young Designers and Competitors
Offering her top tips for the students preparing entries for this year’s challenge, Bains urged participants to maintain a sense of relentless curiosity, embrace creative thinking, and cast aside any fear of making mistakes. Some of the most groundbreaking ideas throughout history, she noted, originate from simply asking probing questions, challenging long-established norms, and viewing stubborn problems from an entirely fresh perspective.
She also underscored the power of collaboration, advising students to listen closely to their peers because every team member brings unique strengths and original ideas to the table. Most importantly, Bains reassured young competitors that they do not need to possess a flawless, fully formed idea right at the outset of the design process. Instead, she encouraged them to test their concepts rigorously, learn constructively from what fails to work, and commit to continuous refinement. Drawing from her athletic experiences, Bains emphasized that true progress stems from a willingness to learn and try again—a principle that applies equally to the world of design and innovation. She concluded with an encouraging message that young people do not need to be adults or recognized industry experts to make a tangible difference in the world through their ideas.
The V&A Innovate National Schools Challenge for the 2026–27 academic year is officially open, welcoming registration and project submissions from student groups in Years 7, 8, and 9 across state schools in England. Alongside the core themes of Simplify, Empower, and Nurture, the Victoria and Albert Museum has provided a comprehensive theme inspiration pack, complemented by dedicated Teacher and Student Toolkits designed to guide participants through every stage of their creative design journey and final submission process. Further information and registration details can be found directly on the official V&A website.