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

Northern Ireland Pupils celebrated in national engineering competition

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 24th June at Ulster University 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 35 pupils from schools across our ‘Northern Ireland’ region being celebrated.

Nursery

  • Winner – Animal finder drone that attaches to your Quad by Alex G, Kesh Primary School
  • Winner – The Rain Cloud Squeezer by Oscar C, Kesh Primary School

Year 1/ P1

  • Highly Commended – Cassie’s Quiet Pod by Cassie M, Kesh Primary School
  • Winner – Pink Rainbow Butterly Medicine Bottle by Dolly S, Kesh Primary School

Year 2/ P2

  • Winner – Investigator Bot by Levi W, Kesh Primary School
  • Winner – Brick Bot by James S, Kesh Primary School

Year 3/ P3

  • Highly Commended – The farmers friend by Bert G, Kesh Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Umbrella Backpack by Aoife L, St Marys Primary School
  • Winner – TR: EVOR by Benjamin M, Lisnasharragh Primary School
  • Winner – The helping hand by Grace T, Kesh Primary School

Year 4/ P4

  • Highly Commended – Child Safety Traffic Sleeve by Saul M, Lisnasharragh Primary School
  • Highly Commended – The Disco Bot by Evie-Rose G, Kesh Primary School
  • Winner – The Growing Bot by Kayleigh M, Kesh Primary School
  • Winner – Smart Fridge Magnet by Chloe Z, Lisnasharragh Primary School

Year 5/ P5

  • Highly Commended – Ready Steady Read by Jack M, Bleary Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Fireshell by Amber T, Lisnasharragh Primary School
  • Winner – Folding Privacy Panel by Samudra C, Homeschooled
  • Winner – School Bus Safety by Abbie L, Lisnasharragh Primary School

Year 6/ P6

  • Highly Commended – The Walking Helper by Willow H, Bleary Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Power Walk by Holly H, Bleary Primary School
  • Winner – Life Boat Drone by George S, Kesh Primary School
  • Winner – Detective Robot 3000 by Ellis H, Bleary Primary School

Year 7/ P7

  • Highly Commended – Translator by Cíara N, St. Mary’s PS Granemore
  • Highly Commended – The Transforming Shoes by Ciarán C, St Joseph’s Bessbrook
  • Winner – DISHBOT by Caide S, St. Mary’s PS Granemore
  • Winner – Decoratable tranzlater by Erika M, St Joseph’s Bessbrook

Year 9/ S2

  • Highly Commended – Sleeping bag that adjusts based on the outside temperatures by Abel T, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
  • Highly Commended – Fingers or Interchangable Furniture by Ewan T, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
  • Winner – Allergy Detector by Joshua I, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
  • Winner – Eco Power Tile by Amelia D, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School

Year 10/ S3

  • Highly Commended – Power Grip by Jacob N, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
  • Highly Commended – Breathing Tile by Jessica J, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
  • Winner – Mindping? by Sophie M, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School
  • Winner – Deaf lenses by Tommy C, Enniskillen Royal Grammar School

Year 13/ S6

  • Winner – Diatomite Bench by Connie H, Lagan College

Congratulations to all the pupils, including Benjamin M from Lisnasharragh Primary School, whose idea “TR: EVOR” stood out for the judges and won the special ‘Judges Award’.

Every year University and Industry Partners of Primary Engineer select an idea to turn into a working Prototype from the previous year’s shortlisted designs. “Auto Dispensing Trowel” prototype was unveiled at the ceremony, brought to life by Ulster University based on the idea of Year 13 pupil Lilian. A second prototype ‘The Marvellous Dog Heater’ by James in P5 was unveiled at the ceremony, created by Thales (Belfast).

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

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/