The shortlisted student ideas

The Library Innovation Competition 2026 asked University of Leeds students to contribute innovative ideas to shape the future of the Library.  We received many fantastic, thoughtful entries that we narrowed down to five exciting ideas.

The five finalists presented their shortlisted ideas at a live event on 3 March 2026. They shared their developed ideas in fantastic presentations.

The judges named Anastu Regita Nareswara as the winner and “Library Innovation Champion 2026”. She also won the “Students’ Choice Award” decided by a public vote. Her idea of Library Tours and Book Club was celebrated for being “grounded in a genuine love and appreciation for our libraries” (Josh Sendall, competition judge and Acting University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection).

The other shortlisted ideas received praise for their considered and creative ideas and placed as:

• second place: Study with a View from Qianxiu Li
• third place: Leeds Library Life app from Nitya Laxmikant Bhattad
• highly commended ideas: Re-imagining Laidlaw: A platform for creative student voices from Haniyyah Asam and Leeds Library Linc app from Marek Klodnicki.

We spoke with each of the finalists to learn more about their idea, their inspiration and why it’s important for students. Read their interviews in the following pages.