The Big Bang Competition
Inspire young people to bring their ideas to life with The Big Bang Competition. Free to enter STEM competition for students aged 11 to 18.
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The Big Bang Competition 2026/27
Inspire inquisitive minds to think big, challenge facts, ask questions, and invent solutions with the UK’s top annual science and engineering competition!
The Neon quality mark shows this activity has been reviewed and meets Neon's quality standards.
Overview
The Big Bang Competition, powered by EUK Education, recognises and rewards young people's achievements in all areas of STEM, whilst providing them with the opportunity to build their skills and confidence in project-based work.
The Competition is free, and is open to young people in the UK aged 11 to 18 who are in state funded education, home educated, or who enter as part of a community group. To support state-funded schools, joint entries can be submitted from teams comprising an equal number of independent school/partner state school students, via the state school entry.
The Competition is open for entries until 12 March 2027 at 4pm, so your students have plenty of time to work on a project.
Students can enter any STEM project, from health and the environment to computing, design and technology. Projects can take many forms, including inventions, communication campaigns and research tackling real-world or community challenges. Projects don't have to be perfect or even finished, what matters most is the idea, creativity and enthusiasm behind it.
Competitors enter their projects online, either as an individual or as part of a team, and provide a written report and/or a video submission demonstrating their work.
All submitted projects will receive guidance from our judges, leaders in industry, and academia, to help participants continue to build their ideas, skills, and confidence in STEM project work.
Finalists will be invited to take part in video calls with our judges and will have the chance of winning some amazing prizes. These include the coveted titles of UK Young Engineer of the Year 2027, UK Young Scientist of the Year 2027, and UK Young Technologist of the Year 2027, supported by Siemens.
A select number of entrants will be invited to showcase their projects at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham in June 2027.
Timeline
entry deadline: 12 March 2027 at 4pm
finalist announcement: 20 April 2027
video call judging: 28 April to 6 May 2027
project showcase: taking place at The Big Bang Fair in June 2027
winners announced: at The Big Bang Competition Awards Ceremony, taking place at The Big Bang Fair in June 2027
Details
- School subject
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- Biology
- Chemistry
- Technology/computing
- Design and technology
- Engineering
- Maths
- Physics
- Curriculum links
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- Design and technology: Cooking and nutrition
- Biology
- Engineering
- Design and technology
- Computing
- Physics: Electricity and electromagnetism
- Biology: Material cycles and energy
- Physics: Energy
- Physics: Space physics
- Technologies - Food and textile technology
- Sciences - Biological systems
- Technologies - Craft, design, engineering and graphics: Application of engineering
- Technologies - Craft, design, engineering and graphics
- Sciences - Forces, electricity and waves: Electricity
- Computing science
- Sciences - Planet earth: Energy sources and sustainability
- Sciences - Planet earth
- Sciences - Planet earth: Space
- Design thinking and engineering: Engineering
- Design thinking and engineering
- Physics: Electricity
- Physics: Energy transfer
- Physics
- Sciences - Organisms and health: Interdependence of plants and animals
- Sciences - Organisms and health
- Technology & design - Manufacturing
- Technology & design - Design
- Technology & design - Communication: Use of ICT tools (including 3D modelling)
- Sciences - Forces and energy: Using electricity
- Technology & design - Control: Incorporate control systems in products
- Sciences - Earth and universe: The environment and human influences
- Sciences - Forces and energy
- Technology & design - Control
- Sciences - Earth and universe: The solar system and universe
- Group size
- Small groups
- Participation level
- Hands-on
- Duration
- Multi-session - flexible
- Dates
- 8 October 2026 – 12 March 2027
- Cost
- Free
- Location
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In-school
- UK-wide
Learning outcomes
- Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
- Attainment and progress
- Develop engineering employability skills
- Improve awareness and aspirations for STEM-related study and careers
- Challenge stereotypes by showing the diversity of disciplines, people and skills involved in engineering
Frameworks
Gatsby benchmarks
The Gatsby benchmarks are a framework for good careers guidance for schools across all of England and in some areas across the rest of the UK. This experience helps your school to reach the following benchmarks:
- 4 - Linking curriculum learning to careers
- 5 - Encounters with employers and employees
EqualEx
The equalex framework allows educators to embed meaningful workplace experiences within a progressive whole school careers programme.
- Introduce and Inspire
- Investigate and Explore
- Apply and Demonstrate
Essential skills
The essential skills every young person needs to succeed in education and their future career. Find out more at the Skills Builder Partnership. This experience builds the following skills:
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How to book
No need to book. You will need to register an account and then you can start your entries, save in-progress, and submit entries to be judged before 12 March 2027.
Please note that the person registering to submit the entry, should be an adult who will manage The Competition entry and will be first point of contact. This must be someone aged 18 or over. Read the full rules and eligibility
Associated resources
Enter The Big Bang Competition
The Big Bang Competition is open to young people aged 11 to 18. They can be in state-funded secondary education or home educated or enter as part of a community group.
View Resource
Project gallery
Browse inspiring STEM projects from students across the UK and discover ideas for your next Big Bang Competition entry.
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