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

Canterbury Christ Church University hosts the ‘South East England’ regional 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 16th June at Canterbury Christ Church 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 42 pupils from schools across our ‘South East England’ region being celebrated.

Nursery

  • Highly Commended – Cat Pole Catcher by Sophia B, The Granville School
  • Highly Commended – Shoelace Robot (Leo) by Ryan B, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School
  • Winner – A Bubble Blaster by Sebastian B, The Granville School
  • Winner – Bouncy by Arwen B, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

Reception

  • Highly Commended – The Clean Machine by Myles A, St Margaret’s at Troy Town
  • Highly Commended – Fly High by Zephan K, St Margaret’s at Troy Town
  • Winner – The Best Fit Trousers by Samara S, River Mill Primary School
  • Winner – Rexy the Robot Dinosaur by Archie G, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School

Year 1

  • Highly Commended – Triple Ice Skates by George M, Challock Primary School
  • Highly Commended – A Clean Water Pipe by Sophia M, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School
  • Winner – Joe The Egg Cracker by Noah C, Challock Primary School
  • Winner – The Pothole Fixer by Livi B, Warden Park Primary School

Year 2

  • Highly Commended – Double Sided Toothbrush by George A, St Margaret’s at Troy Town
  • Highly Commended – Seed Planter by Layla H, Arunside School
  • Winner – Allergy Plate by Millie M, Challock Primary School
  • Winner – Super Glasses Cleaner by Ayra M, Arunside School

Year 3

  • Highly Commended – The Emotion Reader by Robin G, Challock Primary School
  • Highly Commended – The Hologram Pet by Lily T, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Primary School
  • Winner – The UV Watch by Arabella T, Arunside School
  • Winner – The UVaqume by Asher S, The Pilgrim School

Year 4

  • Highly Commended – Energy Shoe by Arlo D, Northbourne Park Primary
  • Highly Commended – Dottie’s Special Beach Wheelchair by Dottie F, St Andrews Prep
  • Winner – Super Suitcase by Maya-Elizabeth P, The Pilgrim School
  • Winner – The Species Awareness Scan by Jessica K, Burnt Oak Primary School

Year 5

  • Highly Commended – Gluovy by Ben T, Challock Primary School
  • Highly Commended – The Flying Fire Extingusher by Arthur E, Arunside School
  • Winner – Solar Powered/Self Lighting Tarmac & Road Signs by Tyler V, Ryarsh Primary School
  • Winner – Weather Peg 2000 by Ruby D, The Pilgrim School

Year 6

  • Highly Commended – E-Shower by Colette W, St Catherine’s Prep School
  • Highly Commended – Guide-nastics by Autumn S, Bromston Primary School
  • Winner – The Desolvable Bottle by Etta S, St Catherine’s Prep School
  • Winner – The Plaster Band by Hannah C, Arunside School

Year 7

  • Highly Commended – The Chrono Crossfire by Remy R, Northborne Park School
  • Highly Commended – Straight-dry-hair brush by Bridgette S, Northborne Park School
  • Winner – Oxygenator by Simone S, Duke of York Royal Military School
  • Winner – Beach Alarms by Jayadityaa A, Reigate Grammar School

Year 8

  • Highly Commended – Intelligent Gravy Maker by Lara C, Highworth Grammar
  • Winner – Carbon Collector by Olivia H, Highworth Grammar
  • Winner – Smart Stop by Mila M, Northbourne park school

Year 9

  • Winner – Corpurum by Nela P, Highworth Grammar

Year 12

  • Winner – Elastic Table by Daniel R, Cornwallis Academy
  • Winner – Electric Assisted Trolly by Zane M, Cornwallis Academy

Congratulations to all the pupils, including Ruby D from The Pilgrim School, whose idea “Weather Peg 2000” 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. “The Strawberry Robot” prototype was unveiled at the ceremony, brought to life by Canterbury Christ Church University based on the idea of Year 1 pupil Daniela.

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

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/