The winners are revealed!
Awards include UK Young Engineer of the Year, supported by Thales, UK Young Technologist of the Year, supported by Siemens, and UK Young Scientist of the Year.
Today we’re excited to announce the winners of The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition. 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 talented students. The top 3 winners each receive £1,000 prize money. Winners were announced at a spectacular awards ceremony, held at The Big Bang Fair, followed a day-long showcase of talented young STEM innovators.
Meet the winners
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.
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, they won with 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.
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 are UK Young Scientists of the Year. Passionate about climate action, they won with their project: ‘The plant perfectionists - how does different masses of biochar affect plant growth?’.
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.
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. Mrs Stewart is 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.”
Dr Hilary Leevers Chief Executive of EUK Education who run The Competition, 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 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."
A host of category winners and runners-up were announced, including 9 special awards.
“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.
— Dr Hilary Leevers Chief Executive at EngineeringUK
