An English university has set up a prize draw offering students the chance to win £5,000 if they can prove they have been vaccinated.
Every student at Sussex University will be entered into the prize draw, unless they decide to opt out.
A total of 10 winners will be picked at random and handed a cash prize of £5,000 if they have had two jabs of the coronavirus vaccine - or can prove that they are medically exempt.
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Professor Adam Tickell, the university’s vice-chancellor, said the scheme aims to drive up vaccination rates among students - but denied that it amounted to bribery.
“We’re going to automatically enter every student in, and unless they have said they want to opt out, after we’ve given them the opportunity to have vaccines – this will be about 12 weeks after the announcement – we’ll just randomly choose 10 names,” Prof Tickell told BBC Radio 4’s Today.
“If they can prove they’ve been double vaccinated, or indeed if they are medically exempt, we’ll make them the award.”
He added: “We’re not bribing them. What we’re doing is we’re just giving an incentive.”
The prize draw will take place at the end of November to allow students time to get vaccinated.
Explaining the university's decision to offer cash to vaccinated students, Prof Tickell said: “We know that many students will have already had their vaccines or are planning to. If we can boost those numbers even slightly through a simple intervention like this, then of course we are going to do so.
“Whilst these are significant prizes for our students, the cost to the university is small compared with the human, social and financial cost if students were to experience the kind of disruption we faced last year.”
He said the university hoped to give students an experience “as close as possible to normal” when they return after the summer, with teaching taking place in person rather than online.
Universities Minister Michelle Donelan said: “Vaccines are the surest way to put Covid behind us and for students to reclaim the freedoms that enrich university life, and I encourage all eligible students to take up the offer of both vaccine doses.
“The department is encouraging universities to look at creative ways to boost uptake and to discuss the possibility of pop-up centres with local health partners – making it quick and easy for students to grab a jab.”
It comes after the government announced that food delivery and taxi-hailing companies would be offering discounted rides and meals for customers who get a Covid-19 jab.
Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo are among the brands that will be offering incentives to encourage younger people to get vaccinated.
Taxi app firm Uber will be sending reminders to all users in August encouraging them to get jabbed, as well as offering discounted rides and meals on its Uber Eats platform for young adults who receive a vaccine, while Deliveroo will give vouchers to young people who get jabbed.
The Department of Health said further details on partnerships will be released “in due course” and other incentives “could include vouchers or discount codes for people attending pop-up vaccine sites and booking through the NHS, social media competitions and promotional offers for restaurants”.
