Talented students crowned winners of The Big Bang Competition 2026

For immediate release: 10 June 2026

Talented students crowned winners of The Big Bang Competition 2026

• Winners include the new UK Young Scientist of the Year, UK Young Technologist of the Year, supported by Siemens, and UK Young Engineer, supported by Thales
• Student’s winning STEM projects include an exploration into a more sustainable way to grow plants and food, an app for travellers to find experiences that match their emotional needs and a low-cost aircraft to deliver emergency medical supplies

Today the winners of The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition 2026 have been unveiled. Held at The Big Bang Fair, the spectacular awards ceremony followed a day-long showcase of talented young STEM innovators.

The Big Bang Competition, run by EUK Education, is a prestigious national competition for young engineers, scientists and technologists aged 11 to 18. There are a range of awards and prizes up for grabs, recognising and rewarding talent students. The top 3 winners each receive £1,000 prize money.

UK Young Scientists of the Year 2026

Jessica Dowdall, Lauren Dowdall, Martha Pugh and Meike Oakes, a team of year 7 students from Hexham Middle School in Northumberland have been crowned UK Young Scientists of the Year for their project ‘The plant perfectionists - how does different masses of biochar affect plant growth?’.

Passionate about climate action, the team wanted to explore different ways to grow plants and food. Through experimenting with adding biochar, a form of charcoal that locks carbon in soil, the team discovered a way to improve plant growth, while also reducing carbon emissions. They hope their findings will help farmers, food producers and gardeners to grow crops and food while locking away more carbon.

Reflecting on their Competition experience, Meike comments, "It's been the best! We joined the school STEM club back in October - it's been so worth it.”

Lauren added "It's been the most fun thing this year. I think everyone who is interested in this should definitely give it a try!"

UK Young Technologists of the Year 2026

The UK Young Technologists of the Year, supported by Siemens, have been named as Daniel Brownlee and Luke Johnston, year 11 students from Cookstown High School in Northern Ireland, for their project ‘TrailTalk: AI-powered experience mapping’.

The team created an app to help travellers find experiences that match how they want to feel, instead of prioritising popularity and ratings as existing platforms do. The talented duo built TrailTalk using AI, voice input and GPS data to help people discover places that meet both their practical and emotional needs. They hope their invention will help travellers discover meaningful, authentic and personal places, while also promoting sustainable travel and benefitting communities not in typical tourist hotspots.

At the awards ceremony Daniel from the team commented, “It means alot - it's been 2 years of hard work coming into this. It's lovely to see it get recognised in this way. It's been an amazing event to be a part of and to win an award at.”

UK Young Engineer of the Year 2026

Kanav Jain, a student from Broxburn, Scotland has been crowned UK Young Engineer of the Year, supported by Thales, for his project ‘AeroAid: autonomous VTOL quadplane’. Kanav is currently in S4 and entered via a community group – First Step Robotics.

Kanav was inspired to help people in rural and remote regions where the delivery of essential emergency supplies is challenging due to lack of reliable road access. Using his passion for drones, he has designed and developed a small, low-cost autonomous aircraft that can carry and deliver medicines and other essential supplies quickly and efficiently. Kanav hopes his low-cost, accessible invention will help provide critical humanitarian support and save millions of lives.

Upon winning Kanav commented “It's so surreal! The moment they say your name you completely zone out...because of how much effort you put into it, and to see all of that come to life is really great!”

The EUK Education Teacher Award 2026

Teachers were also recognised for the key role they play in encouraging and supporting students entering The Competition. The winner of The EUK Education Teacher Award, nominated by their students, was named as Mrs Natalie Stewart, an IT teacher and STEM mentor at Hadley Learning Community in Telford, Shropshire.

Stewart’s students commented, “Mrs Stewart is a fantastic teacher and mentor. Both of us have specific learning difficulties, including ADHD, autism, sensory issues, tic disorders and seizures. Mrs Stewart has not only taught us the material, but she has also guided us in understanding ourselves better, helping us grow in confidence and showing us that we are capable of achieving more than we ever thought possible, we would not be where we are now without her.”

A host of other winners and runners-up were announced, including:

Science Awards 2026

• Junior winners: Kumara Sathiaseelan and Niel Lautenschlager from Cambridge Electronics and Robotics Club in Cambridge
• Intermediate winner: Zhuravel from Fitzalan High School in Cardiff, Wales
• Senior winner: Ananyaa Rahate from Ambition Network NI in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Technology Awards 2026

• Junior winners: Alisha Naveed, and Ikjot Singh, Rizane Thapa Magar, and Season Thapa Magar from Lampton Academy in Hounslow, London
• Intermediate winner: Suhandan Thangadurai from Madras College in St Andrews, Scotland
• Senior winner: Sahasra Bendalam from The Tiffin Girls' School in Kingston upon Thames, London

Engineering Awards 2026

• Junior winner: Harrison Ellis, from the Doncaster Council Elective Home Education Group Yorkshire and the Humber
• Intermediate winner: Jonathan Joseph from Wilson's School in Wallington, London
• Senior winners: Ellen Rooke, Isla Rollett Laila Golledge, Maja Nitecka, and Olivia Hyde, from The Thomas Hardye School in Dorchester, Dorset

Dr Hilary Leevers Chief Executive of EUK Education who run The Competition and The Fair, said: “Massive congratulations to Daniel, Jessica, Kanav, Lauren, Luke, Martha, Meike and all the winners and runners-up. Their curiosity and creativity have driven them to produce some brilliant STEM projects addressing some really big societal problems. They should all be very proud of their dedication and hard work. Competitions like The Big Bang Competition help young people connect their passions with making a real-world difference, it shows young people a future in engineering and technology is possible for them.

“Congratulations also goes to the winner of our EUK Education Teacher Award, Mrs Stewart. We are thrilled to celebrate and sincerely thank all the teachers, technicians and educators who have sparked curiosity, built confidence and supported students with their entries to the Big Bang Competition."

To find out more and discover all the winners and runners-up of The Big Bang Competition 2026 visit: www.thebigbang.org.uk/competition-winners

To find out more about The Big Bang Fair, which is running at Birmingham’s NEC from 9 June to 11 June 2026, visit: www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair

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