Online retailer The Hut is running a Game of Code competition for students to build an app to be integrated into one of its brands.

The Hut is searching for an app idea to improve the retail experience for shoppers purchasing health, beauty or nutrition products across its sites, which include Myprotein and Lookfantastic.

The online department store’s technology platform is built and operated in-house and powers 65 retail websites across 19 brands.

Group marketing director Wing Yung Chan said: “We’re looking for innovations who will bridge the gap between online purchase and offline consumption and we expect many of the top entries to be from teams consisting not just of coders but also writers, marketers, designers and entrepreneurs to develop a complete commercial offer.”

There is a £100,000 prize for the winning team and finalists will be considered for paid internships at The Hut.

The Hut’s group talent director Ashley Ramrachia said: “We’re committed to supporting the next generation of technology leaders as they develop their skills, and the prize for this competition reflects that.”

Split into three phases, the competition allows entrants to submit their ideas via the Game of Code website, which is open for entries until January 31.

Selected teams will then be given access to The Hut data and asked to build a working version of their app. The top teams’ apps will be put to a public vote to determine the finalists. A panel of senior executives from The Hut and industry specialists will decide the overall winner.

“The competition is our way of uncovering the best technology and business talent in the UK and finding futures stars to lead the way at The Hut,” said Chan.