First Lego League 2024-2025

2024-25 FIRST LEGO League SUBMERGED season has officially begun! This season, children will learn about how and why people explore the oceans. Our discoveries beneath the ocean surface teach us how this complex ecosystem supports a healthy future for the plants and animals that live there.. We are really excited to see all of the amazing and creative ideas that we know will be produced this season.

Schools can apply for FIRST LEGO League Funding Packages.

More information here

RSB School Biology Teacher of the Year Award

Do you know an amazing school biology teacher who deserves an award? Students and students’ parents or guardians, and schools’ governors, science technicians, or members of their management team can now suggest a teacher for the Royal Society of Biology’s School Biology Teacher of the Year Award by 10th January 2025. The teachers suggested will be invited to nominate themselves by 24th January 2025. Please visit the Royal Society of Biology’s website for further information. Teachers in the UK can also contact Dr Amanda Hardy to discuss ideas or to suggest a teacher to nominate themselves or a colleague by completing our full nomination form themselves by 24th January 2025.

The Big Bang Competition

Know the next space explorer or climate change hero? Got an idea that will transform people’s lives?

Inspire inquisitive minds to think big, challenge facts, ask questions and invent solutions with the UK’s top annual science, engineering and technology competition. Young people are amazing – help them shine and change the world.

Join the fun! (…and develop skills along the way)

• Build confidence and teamwork skills
• Solve problems
• Get expert feedback
• Celebrate and share your work

The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition is free, and is open to young people in the UK aged 11 to 18 in state-funded secondary education, who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. Competitors can only enter one project, either on their own or as part of a team. 

The Big Bang Competition will open in the autumn term. Sign up here

DVLA Code Challenge 2024

After a brilliant response to last year’s competition and hundreds of questions about when the next one would be starting, we have launched the DVLA Code Challenge for 2024.

This year the Challenge is open to children and young adults from the age of 7 to 18, so your School, College or Group can enter any or all of the three categories

• DVLA Code Challenge for students aged 7 to 11
• DVLA Code Challenge for students aged 11 to 16
• “Commerce in Code Challenge” for students aged 16 to 18

The Code Challenge enables students of all ages to develop their problem solving, teamworking skills and improve their knowledge of computer programming in a fun and innovative way and also to win thousands of pounds of IT Equipment for their schools or Groups.

The competition prize giving event will be hosted by Sian Lloyd (Journalist and Broadcaster) on Tuesday 3rd December 2024 and a Prize Draw to win IT Equipment.

To register for the event in any of the categories just read the Competition Terms and Conditions and send us the completed registration form. You’ll find all the information you need on our Downloads page.

You can get free tickets to join us on site at the Richard Ley Development Centre in Swansea or online from our Ticketsource page, just click here. 

Explore climate issues with ESA Climate Detectives and Climate Detectives Kids

ESERO-UK invites teachers and teams of students to team up and join the ESA Climate Detectives and Climate Detectives Kids school projects. Registration is open from September each year.

ESA Climate Detectives is a competition that is open for students from the ages of 8 to 19. Teams of students, supported by their teacher, are called to make a difference by identifying a climate problem, investigating it by using available Earth Observation data or taking measurements on the ground, and then proposing a way to help reduce the problem.

The ESA Climate Detectives Kids is a challenge where teams of pupils up to 12 years old complete activities to earn badges. This category is ideal for beginners and is non-competitive Register to take part here

The Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition

Age: 16–18Registration opens: now

The Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition, run by Cambridge Assessment, is an exciting extra-curricular activity for teams of aspiring scientists who are studying with the Cambridge IGCSE or O Level science programmes.

Teams of three to six students choose a topic and work on a scientific investigation over 20–25 hours. The competition encourages investigations with some practical or community relevance and an eye on sustainability.

Projects may involve laboratory work and should include creative and collaborative working, critical thinking and reflection. Students should be given the opportunity to present their results to a wider audience, perhaps at a science fair or other school event.

Teachers provide initial project evaluations and the best are put forward for consideration by a panel of experts. The winning team receives a certificate and is featured on the competition website. The competition runs twice a year, so keep abreast of all the dates on the website.

UCL Ocean Health Challenge 2024

This is a national engineering design challenge for 11-18 year old secondary school and college students.

The competition invites students to design, prototype and pitch engineering solutions aimed at preventing plastic pollution getting into our oceans. Example entries include physical solutions such as a smart recycling bin which scans and sorts rubbish to improve rates of plastic recycling, digital solutions such as a reminder app to encourage the use of reusable shopping bags, and behaviour change initiatives such as an advertising campaign to encourage people to use resuable cups when they purchase takeaway tea and coffee. More information here

• The Ocean Health Challenge will take place over 8 weeks between October 7th and November 30th 2024 
• It is part of UCL’s Festival of Engineering, which celebrates of 150 years of engineering education
• The whole activity takes roughly 10 hours to complete  
• Students can complete the work at any point in the 8-week period providing their entry is submitted by the deadline on November 30th
• Entries will take the form of a short simple design portfolio and poster showcasing the design

UK Chemistry Olympiad (UKChO)

Take part in the leading chemistry competition for secondary students across the British Isles

Designed to challenge and inspire, the UK Chemistry Olympiad (UKChO) is a unique opportunity for students to push themselves further and excel in the chemistry field.

Budding chemists will develop critical problem-solving skills, learn to think more creatively and get a chance to test their knowledge in new, real-world situations. They could even find themselves representing the UK at the prestigious International Chemistry Olympiad. Register until 5th January and to find out more go here.