Posted on / in 'If you were an engineer' Competition

Shining a spotlight on pupil innovation at Scotland South West awards

These pupils had taken part in a UK-wide competition, run by educational not-for-profit Primary Engineer, where they answered the question “If you were an engineer, what would you do?”. Pupils aged 3-19 are tasked with interviewing an engineer before being asked to identify a problem in the world around them and drawing and annotating a solution and adding a letter explaining why an engineer should choose to build it!

All entries are read and graded by engineering professionals, with every single pupil who takes part receiving a named and graded certificate. They are graded based on the quality of the idea and the problem, large or small, that it is solving. Shortlisted entries are then sent to exclusive judging days where the invited judges, formed from leading industry and engineering professionals, select the designs to be celebrated at 25 regional Award Ceremonies.

The competition culminated on 12th June at Troon concert hall in Troon in an exciting regional public exhibition and award ceremony, where teachers, pupils, their families and industry professionals were invited to celebrate local ingenuity and create lasting memories. The shortlisted designs were displayed, and the winners and those who were highly commended were invited on stage to receive their awards, with a surprise award for the judge’s favourite at the end.

The highly commended and winning pupils were awarded trophies and framed certificates of their ideas, with 40 from schools across our ‘Scotland South West’ region being celebrated.

Nursery

  • Winner – Milk Bottle Robot by Luke P, Hamilton College

Primary 1

  • Highly Commended – Lego 3D Vision by Reuben H, Shortlees Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Money Maker 2.0 by Carrick R, Gateside Primary School
  • Winner – Summer Watering Suit by John M, Hamilton College
  • Winner – Stirrup Steps by Frederick A, Hamilton College

Primary 2

  • Highly Commended – Wheelchair Lift by Freya W, Forehill Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Glasses for the Blind by Sofia C, Shortlees Primary School
  • Winner – Road Safety Watch by Connor M, Shortlees Primary School
  • Winner – The Friend Making Robot by Aria A, Shortlees Primary School

Primary 3

  • Highly Commended – Solar Stream by Poppy A, Canonbie Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Buster 3000 by Hugo S, St. Patricks Primary School
  • Winner – Pool Sensor by Siena B, Hamilton College
  • Winner – Sat-Nav Trolley by Kacey H, Shortlees Primary School

Primary 4

  • Highly Commended – Drain O Matic by Mabel G, Mount Cameron Primary School
  • Highly Commended – The Scanning Bins by Emilia M, Sanquhar Primary School
  • Winner – Automatic Drink Pourer by Chloe M, Shortlees Primary School
  • Winner – The Recy Bus by Oleksii P, Loanhead Primary School

Primary 5

  • Highly Commended – Healer by Cara B, Newton Farm Primary School
  • Highly Commended – The Cleaning Speed Boat (C.S.B) by Harry G, Newton Farm Primary School
  • Winner – BFF MP Fridge Freezer by Freya D, Newton Farm Primary School
  • Winner – The Sip Reminder by Harris I, Newton Farm Primary School

Primary 6

  • Highly Commended – The Portable Scanner for Blind People by Poppy B, Gateside Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Space Junk Collector 001 (SJC001) by Rowan T, Penpont Primary School
  • Winner – Suncream Sprayer! by Ferne C, Heathfield Primary School
  • Winner – Allergic Pen by Lily N, Heathfield Primary School

Primary 7

  • Highly Commended – Road Fillers by Lexi M, Penpont Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Translation Glasses by Sara N, Shortlees Primary School
  • Winner – The Awesome Soundproof Cage by Ruby H, Shortlees Primary School
  • Winner – Food Bowl 5000 by Seth S, Canonbie Primary School

Secondary 1

  • Highly Commended – Rubbish Sucker by Halle K, St. Joseph’s College
  • Highly Commended – The Smart Stand by Dalidh L, Kyle Academy
  • Winner – Nuclear Attracter Combuster (NAC) by Oli C, St. Joseph’s College
  • Winner – BeepBrew Mug by Francesca R, St. Joseph’s College

Secondary 2

  • Highly Commended – Auto Flip Record Player by Lily C, St. Matthew’s Academy
  • Highly Commended – The Luggage Finder by Freya P, St. Joseph’s College
  • Winner – Dyslexi Glasses by Amelia M, St. Matthew’s Academy
  • Winner – Light Up Pavement by Zach S, St. Joseph’s College

Secondary 3

  • Highly Commended – Subtitle Glasses by Bonnie M, Dalbeattie High School
  • Highly Commended – Subtitle Glasses by Eilidh T, Dalbeattie High School
  • Winner – Extra Grippy and Heated Safety Reins by Kristina L, Dalbeattie High School

Congratulations to all the pupils, including Oleksii P from Loanhead Primary School, whose idea “The Recy Bus” stood out for the judges and won the special ‘Judges Award’.

Thank you to our National and Regional partners for fully-funding this competition and helping us bringing engineering into classrooms in Scotland South West.

Relive the event highlight by viewing the full photo album on Facebook: Primary Engineer | Facebook

The 2026/27 Competition is Officially OPEN so get involved to experience the fun! Register for full competition access and resources here: https://leadersaward.com/resource-area-registration/

Primary Engineer Public Exhibitions and Award Ceremonies continue all over the UK through to July, with thousands of pupils engineering ideas being displayed for all to see. Find out more: https://leadersaward.com/exhibitions-and-events/