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

Cumbria 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 11th June at Energus in Workington, Cumbria 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 30 pupils from schools across our ‘Cumbria’ region being celebrated.

Nursery

  • Winner – Mabel’s Recycling Wind Powered Rubbish Collector by Mabel D, Cleator Moor Nursery
  • Winner – Lottie’s Solar Panel Robot Fish by Lottie D, Cleator Moor Nursery

Reception

  • Highly Commended – David by Sebastian M, Kingmoor Nursery & Infant School
  • Highly Commended – Tom the Folding Robot by Eden E, Kingmoor Nursery & Infant School
  • Winner – The Road Robot by Zachary W, Kingmoor Nursery & Infant School
  • Winner – Teddybear Helper by Sylvie, Kingmoor Nursery & Infant School

Year 1

  • Highly Commended – The Sleeping Bag Bracelet by Nancy W, Kingmoor Infant School
  • Highly Commended – The Button Machine by Mikayla M, Kingmoor Infant School
  • Winner – Car Protector by Reggie E, St James’ CofE Infant School
  • Winner – Improved Toy Box by Jessica L, Austin Friars

Year 2

  • Highly Commended – River to Tap by Isla D, Kingmoor Infant School
  • Highly Commended – Keep Dry by Bethany M, Kingmoor Infant School
  • Winner – Penguin 6000 by Oscar C, Kingmoor Infant School
  • Winner – Auto-Stair Rampmatic by Charlotte B, Austin Friars

Year 3

  • Highly Commended – Straw Cleaner by Edie P, Croftlands Junior School
  • Highly Commended – Automatic Fish Feeder by Violet H, Croftlands Junior School
  • Winner – The Book Talker by Dougie B, Sir John Barrow
  • Winner – Super Darts Glasses by Emmi S, Croftlands Junior School

Year 4

  • Highly Commended – Automatic Glasses by Jonah B, Croftlands Junior School
  • Highly Commended – The Litter Fish 3000 by Emilia C, Croftlands Junior School
  • Winner – Pick Packet by Ezra M, Austin Friars
  • Winner – Scam Phone by Eve P, Croftlands Junior School

Year 5

  • Highly Commended – Heated Animal Bed by Millie D, Church Walk Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Self-Watering Plant Pot by Eleanor K, Church Walk Primary School
  • Winner – Sidewalk Power Tiles by Belle B, Croftlands Junior School
  • Winner – GPS Sticker by Emily J, Croftlands Junior School

Year 6

  • Highly Commended – The Presto-Wardrobe by Eden R
  • Highly Commended – The Vertigo Visor by Bronte B, Croftlands Junior School
  • Winner – Stutter Automatic 2000 by Leo F, Victoria Academy
  • Winner – Bracelet for Seizures by Olivia R, Croftlands Junior School

Congratulations to all the pupils, including Ezra M from Austin Friars, whose idea “Pick Packet”  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 Dido Bots” prototype was unveiled at the ceremony, brought to life by The University of Cumbria based on the idea of Year 4 pupils, Georgie.

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

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/