Want to win 5000 euros, work among the most innovative minds in the world and be catapulted into the heart of the boardsports industry? Well sit through this spiel and you’ll learn how!

Ever heard of Jorgen Karlson? If not, you can go to sleep tonight knowing you learnt something new today as we’re going to tell you. He’s a Norwegian engineer and inventor who’s thought up game-changing concepts in horticulture and pharmaceuticals, and even developed a theory set to change physics.

Being Norwegian he also had a soft spot for the shred, and so a few years ago he turned his attention to snowboard design. After studying conventional profiles, he decided that the torsional twist in the nose and tail during a turn actually fight against the board, and so he counteracted this effect by slightly angling up the board at the tip and tail. He pitched the idea to the world’s major board companies and they laughed at him. But, like any true inventor, he believed in his idea and has since created the fastest growing snowboard company in the world. Bataleon.

If you, like Jorgen, love snowboarding and also fancy yourself as a bit of a creative mind, get involved in this amazing competition run by Euro SIMA (European Sport Industry Manufacturers Association).

This is the fourth year the competition has run and it’s never been won with a snowboarding idea before, so step up and represent! The winner will receive a 5,000 euro grant and be put in contact with boardsports industrials and innovation specialists across Europe. If you’re a greedy bugger and 5,000 Euro’s isn’t enough, the 2010 winners managed to blag 10,000 to develop their idea, and there were two winners in 2009, so don’t be disheartened.

The project is aimed at encouraging technological and/or environmental development in the boardsports world. Previous winners have shown the true diversity of the competition; from ‘GreenFIX’ a wax made from non toxic renewable natural resources, to skim boards that can rip rails and move in a way no skim board has moved before.

For more information and application forms visit their website.

Oh, and if you’re looking for inspiration, check out some of the rad ideas the Signal Snowboards lot cook up every third Thursday! – and stay tuned for their latest video we’ll be posting later today.

The judges assemble in September to crown the victor. So what are you waiting for? Pop your thinking hats on and get to work!