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

Explorify Art Competition 2025

The next Start With Art artist could be one of the children in your class. The Explorify Art competition was inspired by our Start With Art activities, which celebrate creativity and curiosity in children’s science learning. Ideal for use in the middle or at the end of a science topic, these activities are a sure-fire way to start children talking, encouraging them to ponder and discuss possible connections between a work of art and what they’ve been learning about in science.

The Explorify Art Competition invites children to create their own Start With Art artwork. They could draw or paint a picture, make a model or a sculpture, create a collage, design a print, take a photograph… whatever they choose. They might seek inspiration from one of our featured Start With Art artists (but note that children’s entries do need to be original, rather than copies of existing works of art). Or perhaps they’ve learned about the style and work of a particular artist, or have explored new skills in art such as water-colour or hand building with clay. Here’s a purposeful opportunity for them to put those skills into practice. Can they find a way to show their science learning through their art? Can they create something that will spark a conversation about science among other children that look at it?

The winners will also receive a £50 book token.

There are two age categories:

• 7 and under (at the start of the Autumn term 2024),

• 8 (at the start of the Autumn term 2024) to 12 (at the end of the summer term 2025).

Entries are welcomed from all educational settings in the UK, including home-educated children. A child can only be entered into the competition once. Artwork submitted can only be created by up to 2 children.

To enter the competition please complete the age appropriate online entry form where you can upload an image, PDF or presentation file of the artworks. Enter here for 7 and under. Enter here for 8-12

If you were an Engineer What would you do ?

Bringing engineering into your classroom couldn’t be easier with this annual cross-curricular STEM competition from Primary Engineer. It’s fully-funded for all UK schools and home-educated groups and asks pupils aged 3-19 the question ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’.

Are you looking for a way of bringing engineering into the classroom, but don’t know where to start? This competitions is one of our flagship STEM programmes that invites pupils of all ages in both primary and secondary schools to imagine if they were an engineer, what problem would they most like to solve? They do this by interviewing professionals from the engineering field to help inspire them to create their own design of a solution to a real-world problem through an annotated illustration detailing their invention. As well as annotation, they will put their formal English writing skills into practice by creating their own letters of purpose, detailing and explaining their ideas, using persuasive techniques to appeal to our engineer judges – a thoroughly engaging and immersive experience for pupils, teachers and engineers alike. Register to instantly gain access to curriculum-mapped teaching resources, links to engineers and plus we celebrate every single competition entry with a personalised graded certificate. Submission deadline April 2025. 

Train Like an Astronaut: Walk to the moon Challenge

Each school year, from September to August, teams of students up to 14 years old can participate in the Walk to the Moon Challenge. Teams from across the world complete Mission X activities and submit them online to earn steps. Steps submitted by all participating teams help the Mission X mascots, Luna and Leo, walk 384,400 km – the distance from Earth to the Moon.

Participants will receive a certificate and an invitation to a virtual event hosted by ESA Education. Additionally, teacher trainings, national events and summer camps are held in multiple countries. You can read more about Mission X in your country by checking out your country page in the menu bar at the top of this page.

AstroPi - Mission Space Lab

Mission Space Lab offers teams of young people the chance to run scientific experiments on board the International Space Station. Registration is open from 16 September 2024 to 24 February 2025.

In Mission Space Lab teams are invited to write computer programs that solve a scientific task in space: to gather data to calculate the speed at which the International Space Station (ISS) is travelling as accurately as possible.

To achieve this, teams write a Python program to first use the Astro Pi computers’ sensors or camera and gather data about the orientation and motion of the ISS as it orbits the Earth, and then calculate the speed of the ISS based on the gathered data.

Taking part in Astro Pi Mission Space Lab enables young people to learn about the ISS, about gathering and using data to answer a scientific question, and about creating and troubleshooting a computer program. They also have the exciting opportunity to learn about the science of motion and the orbit of the ISS. Eligible programs will be deployed on the ISS, and teams will receive certificates and data collected in space. More information here

Join Climate Detectives

Did you know you can make a difference in understanding and protecting planet Earth? Join Climate Detectives, a project run by ESA and ESERO! Your investigation can focus on climate change but also on everything about our planet Earth and its care: the environment, sustainable ways of living, biodiversity, air quality, forests, oceans and much more. Be curious and become a Climate Detective! Together, student detectives are working to protect our planet!

Teams can choose between two levels of engagement. 

By participating in the new beginner’s category, Climate Detectives Kids, teams can complete fun hands-on activities, and earn badges to become a certified detective of climate and the Earth!

For a bigger challenge, teams can complete a full investigation of their choice: identify the problem they want to analyse, collect data, and share their results with the Climate Detectives community. Selected teams will be invited for an exciting learning and celebration event at the end of this school year! Find out more here

Green Power Competition

Greenpower Education Trust is a UK based charity which gets young people enthusiastic about science and engineering by challenging them to design, build and race an electric car.

We supply age appropriate Kit Cars, which can be built in school, college or elsewhere and raced at motorsport venues at Greenpower organised events. Alternatively, older participants can design and build their own car to our regulations. The Greenpower challenge uses the excitement of motorsport to inspire young people to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM).The F24 season runs from Aprto October. The season stars with a test day and Seas Opener. Further test days follow then the heats start, takiing place all over the country until the end of September where we will hold the International Finalat Goodwood in October for teams that have qualified 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

Starpack Schools Competition

Starpack Schools is a competition for learners aged 11 to 17 that has been designed to:

• encourage young people to consider the important role played by packaging and materials
• promote careers in the packaging industry as exciting, challenging and rewarding.

The 2025 Starpack Schools Competition has separate categories for years 7 & 8, 9 & 10 and year 12 and the submission requirements vary for each category to differentiate between the learning level of the students.

The 2025 Starpack Schools Competition has been designed to link closely to the Design & Technology curriculum and give learners an opportunity to develop their research and design skills, and knowledge of materials.

Schools must register to access the brief and accompanying support material. Click  to get started! Registration opens January 13 2025 and entries must be in by 25 July 2025

Teen Tech Awards

Are you an innovator? Do you have an idea which could make life easier, simpler or better? Do you have a skill that you would like to showcase? Or do you have an interest in an area that you would like to research?

The TeenTech Awards are for students aged 11 to 16 (Years 7 to 11) and 17 to 19 (Years 12 to 13) and you can work individually, or in a team of up to three. They present a wonderful and powerful opportunity to develop your potential and showcase qualities which are appreciated by both employers and further education.

The best projects go forward to the TeenTech Awards Final for judging.

Register here and find out more

Royal Society of Chemistry Top of the Bench

Fuel your students’ curiosity and represent your secondary school at our annual chemistry competition. Top of the Bench is for every secondary school in the UK. And for every 14–16 year old.

With the help of our members, we’ve been organising and running this annual competition for more than 20 years. As a result, hundreds of students have had the chance to see chemistry in a new light, and put practical and teamworking skills into action.

Heats take place from October to January. 

Top of the Bench is designed to inspire excitement about chemistry in your students – whoever they are, wherever their skills currently lie. The competition is open to every secondary school in the UK. The only criteria: students must be aged 14–16 to take part, and your team of four should reflect your school’s gender balance. More information here

UK. SDC Comnpetition

The UK Space Design Competition is a science, engineering and business challenge designed as a simulation of life in industry. Teams are given a list of requirements for a space settlement and are tasked with coming up with a detailed design which they present to a panel of judges from industry, academia and business.

Open to UK secondary and sixth form students (years 10 – 13), teams can enter the UKSDC via our regional or digital heats (introduced in 2020 to replace our usual regional heats in a COVID-secure way). Winning teams from these entry points take part in our national final; a residential competition weekend hosted by Imperial College London! A select group of winners are then invited to go from there to the International Space Settlement Design Competition (ISSDC) at a NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre.

We aim to deliver engaging events that showcase the value that students could gain from further study or careers in STEM disciplines. We hope you choose to join us on this journey! The regsitration for 2024-25 is now closed . More details here

Moon Camp

Participate in Moon Camp and design a space habitat! Take on a new space adventurer role with your team and design a habitat on the lunar surface or go beyond the Moon and explore other worlds in our Solar System. Select the topic and format that best fits your team and get creative! Your project can range from:

Moon Camp is a partnership between ESA and the national ESEROs and the Airbus Foundation. All teams that submit a project will receive a participation certificate and will be invited to the final online livestream event with an astronaut. More information here

 Registrations: open from 10 September 2024 to 28 April 2025 

 Mid-year online event with a space expert: February 2025, open to all interested students and teachers.

 Final online event with an astronaut: May or June 2025, open to all the participants that submitted a project.

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

 British Model Flying Association 2025 University and Schools Payload Challenges

The BMFA Payload Challenges require students to design, build and fly load-carrying model aircraft. The competitions have evolved to stretch the abilities of participating students and there is no doubt the development of a good aircraft requires each team to display design flair, technical knowledge and teamwork.

Judging is by a panel of professional engineers and the competition has attracted very favourable comment from external examiners, the challenge is sponsored by the Royal Aeronautical Society and also enjoys the support of BAE SYSTEMS, Rolls Royce, RAF Engineering and the Royal Air Force Model Aircraft Association.

The contest is open to all students in full time education including home education and accredited apprenticeships, based in the UK and Europe.

Entries must be received by the 1st April 2025, however, due to the continually increasing interest in this competition this year will again see a limit on the number of entries accepted

An entry fee is payable on submission of a completed entry form, for 2025 we have significantly reduced the entry fee for each competition class.

The flying and presentation element of the competition will take place on the 18th and 19th of June 2025 at the British Model Flying Association National Centre near Grantham in Lincolnshire, teams may arrive on the 17th of June for set up and practice by prior arrangement. Go here for further details

For detailed information or assistance contact the Challenge Co-ordinator, Manny Williamson on manny@bmfa.org

The Cambridge Upper Secondary Science Competition

Age: 16–18 Registration 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

Design a vehicle for your future

Together we have been working hard to prepare the industry for the future, but we have run out of ideas! So, we need your help to create a brand-new vehicle that will be ready for 2030.

Can you imagine what type of vehicles will be popular in 2030?  What will they look like?  How will they run?  Will they have some fun things in them that haven’t been invented yet?

Follow the steps below and help us design a vehicle of the future.

Download your pack imi-design-the-future-competition-primary-school-age

STEP 1 – Plan and design the look of your vehicle

STEP 2 – Name your vehicle

STEP 3 – Create a logo for your vehicle

STEP 4 – List 3 new features “of the future” for your vehicle

STEP 5 – Put all of these ideas together to design a fun poster advertising your vehicle of the future

THE PRIZE: An amazing automotive related prize will be awarded to the winner!

CLOSING DATE – Ongoing

Please send your entries by email to careers@theimi.org.uk or post to The Careers Team, Institute of the Motor Industry, Fanshaws, Brickendon, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG13 8PQ

VEX Robotics Competition A Competition Brings STEM Skills to Life

All students are natural scientists and engineers. They love to question, tinker, experiment, and play. VEX competitions foster these skills and capitalise on the motivational effects of competitions and robotics to help all students create an identity as a STEM learner. VEX competitions are also a great way to expose students to valuable soft skills like communication, collaboration and time-management in a fun and authentic way. The VEX Robotics competition prepares students to become future innovators, with 95% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM subject areas and pursuing STEM-related careers. Tournaments are held year-round at local, regional, and national levels and culminate at the VEX Robotics World Championship each April! More information here

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.