The scheme is aimed at new and returning students who are settling into university life and managing the cost of everyday meals. According to Aldi’s announcement on 16 September, the vouchers are intended to help students buy fresh produce for breakfasts, snacks and simple dinners while working within a budget.
The competition also comes as freshers weeks take place at universities across the UK, generally during mid to late September. Alongside the giveaway, Aldi has published several suggestions for making fresh food last longer and using lower-cost ingredients in everyday meals.
How Students Can Enter Aldi’s £5,000 Giveaway
Aldi is offering 500 individual vouchers worth £10 each, bringing the total value of the competition to £5,000. Each voucher is intended to cover a basket of fresh fruit and vegetables.
According to the Express, entrants must be aged over 18, live in the UK and submit their entry from a valid UK university email address. Students need to email [email protected] with their name and age, together with the dish they intend to make using the voucher. Only one entry is permitted per person. The competition remains open until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 7 October 2026. Aldi has published the full terms and conditions through its press centre website.
Julie Ashfield, Chief Commercial Officer at Aldi UK, said Freshers Week could present challenges for students trying to establish routines while keeping within a budget. “Whether students are leaving home for the first time or heading back after summer, building healthy routines on a budget can be a challenge,” she said. Ashfield added that the £5,000 in vouchers was intended to help students buy fresh fruit and vegetables as term begins.
Aldi Shares Five Ways to Make Student Food Budgets Go Further
Alongside the competition, Aldi published five food-shopping suggestions from Ashfield. According to the supermarket’s press centre, these include freezing unused portions of fruit and vegetables, rotating three straightforward dinners and keeping lower-cost staples such as oats, rice, pasta, beans, lentils and eggs as the basis of a shopping basket.
For students dealing with limited freezer space, Ashfield suggested freezing sauces, chopped vegetables and leftovers flat in bags or containers. Leftover vegetables can then be used in soups, pasta sauces, stir-fries or curries, while frozen fruit can be kept for breakfasts and smoothies.
Another suggestion is to rotate meals based on jacket potatoes, pasta or stir-fries, changing toppings and other ingredients each week. Aldi also advises students to check its Super 6 fruit and vegetable offers, which change every fortnight, before planning meals.
Reduced food forms the fifth part of the advice. Ashfield said reduced fruit could be used for breakfasts, snacks or smoothies, while reduced vegetables could go into soups, tray bakes, omelettes and pasta sauces. Where appropriate, items that will not be eaten immediately can be cooked and frozen for later in the week.
The giveaway sits alongside Aldi’s wider UK expansion. The Express reported that the supermarket is opening a new store each week throughout September, with up to 120 jobs being created. The new branches form part of a £370 million investment in new stores this year, while Aldi has a longer-term ambition of reaching 1,500 UK locations.
