Competition
Secondary
The Big Bang Competition 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 19 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! Entries close on 4 March 2026 at 5pm, so you have plenty of time to work on a project.
Students can enter any project in the field of STEM – from health to the environment, and from computing to design and technology; from inventions, to communication campaigns, to research into solving a problem within the community. It doesn’t matter if your student(s) conduct their project using simple everyday items, or whether they undertake research in a scientific lab; it’s all about the idea and the enthusiasm behind it!
Competitors enter their projects online, either as an individual or as part of a team, and provide both a written report and video upload 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, including the coveted titles of UK Young Engineer of the Year 2026, supported by Thales, UK Young Scientist of the Year 2026, and UK Young Technologist of the Year 2026, supported by Siemens.
A select number of entrants will be invited to showcase their projects at the Big Bang Fair in Birmingham in June 2026.
Timeline
Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
Improve attainment and progress in STEM subjects
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
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:
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:
Planning - Setting goals and designing routes to achieve them
Creativity - Using imagination and generating new ideas
Leadership - Supporting, encouraging and motivating others to achieve a shared goal
Problem solving - Finding solutions to challenges
Speaking - Transmitting information or ideas
What the teachers sayLog in to write a testimonialWe would love to read all about your time with this experience!
Secondary
Fun and engaging short STEM project ideas. Developed by the British Science Association, CREST Bronze projects give students a taste of what it’s like to be a scientist or engineer in the real world.
Secondary
A fun single-session activity for students aged 14-16 that combines career inspiration, problem-solving and environmental awareness.
