Feat of science and engineering puts Worksop pupils through to national competition final
Inventive students from Worksop have made the finals of a leading STEM competition.
Pupils from Outwood Academy Valley are among 20 young people from across the East Midlands, who have now been confirmed as finalists of The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Competition 2026.
Selected from over 800 entrants, the young people will now go through a final round of judging and receive feedback from industry experts, before the winners are announced at an awards ceremony at The Big Bang Fair.
A sustainable floating farm, an AI-powered recycling bin and renewable energy generation through everyday movement, are just some of the innovative science, engineering, technology and maths (STEM) projects battling it out for coveted top prizes this year.
From the team at Outwood, Worksop, there is a ‘generation hybrid cargo ship powered by forces of the ocean’
Top awards on offer include The Big Bang UK Young Engineer (supported by Thales), The Big Bang UK Young Technologist (supported by Siemens), and The Big Bang UK Young Scientist of the Year.
Winners of each category will receive a trophy plus £1,000 prize money.
Last year local student Grace Palmer from the Midlands won a top engineering prize for her project ‘thrive transfer aid’.
Phillip McShane, associate director of engagement projects at EngineeringUK said: "Once again, the standard of projects has been incredibly high. The environment, AI and health are project themes that continue to be popular as young people look to engineering and technology to provide solutions.
"This year we continue to see entrants using a greater mix of STEM skills to create their projects.”
A host of special awards supported by key engineering and technology industry partners are also on offer, as well as the EUK Education teacher award for school staff who has gone above and beyond to support students throughout their projects.
James Mackay, Head of STEM in the UK at Thales, said: “Congratulations to all the young people who have entered The Big Bang Competition - your curiosity, creativity, and passion for discovering new possibilities are truly inspiring.
At Thales, we’re proud to support The Competition for the first time, helping to nurture the next generation of engineers and innovators."
Mark Wood, Social Sustainability Lead, Great Britain and Ireland, at Siemens said: “Technology holds the key to solving the problems we face every day, so competitions like The Big Bang Competition, which embed creativity as well as real world solutions using technology, have never been more important to our environment, our society and our world.”
Finalists will be invited to showcase their projects to industry professionals, employers, and other young people at The Big Bang Fair that will take place June 9 to 11 2026 at the NEC in Birmingham. Competition winners will be crowned at an awards ceremony at The Fair on June 9.
The annual Big Bang Fair is the largest free celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people aged 10 to 13 in the UK.