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

Pupils’ engineering ideas take centre stage at University of Lincoln

Pupils from across East Central England were celebrated at the University of Lincoln on 26 June, as Primary Engineer brought together schools, families and engineering professionals for a regional exhibition and awards ceremony recognising young people’s creativity and problem-solving.

The pupils had taken part in the UK-wide “If you were an engineer, what would you do?” competition, run by educational not-for-profit Primary Engineer. The competition invites pupils aged 3 to 19 to interview an engineer, identify a real-world problem and create an annotated design for an invention that could help solve it.

Every entry is read and graded by engineering professionals, with each participating pupil receiving a named and graded certificate. Shortlisted designs are then considered by judging panels made up of leading industry and engineering professionals, who select the pupils to be recognised at regional award ceremonies across the UK.

At the East Central England event, shortlisted designs were displayed for visitors to explore before Highly Commended pupils and winners were invited on stage to receive trophies and framed certificates. In total, 39 pupils from schools across the region were celebrated for their imaginative engineering ideas.

Nursery:

  • Highly Commended, Flying Scooter by Mason P, South Normanton Nursery
  • Highly Commended, The Dink Shunt Tool by Quinnley F, Home school
  • Winner, Robot Football by Fallon B, Ashover Primary School
  • Winner, Phone Battery Eater by Sophia C, Ashover Primary School

Reception

  • Highly Commended, Wilbur The Boat by Wilbur B, Ashover Primary School
  • Highly Commended, Jaffa the Robot Dog by Ferris A, Newton Primary School
  • Winner, Ambulance Robot b William H, Ashover Primary School
  • Winner, A Cleaning Unicorn Robot by Martha G, Ashover Primary School

Year 1

  • Highly Commended, Self Driving Car by Yummy S, St Josephs Catholic Voluntary
  • Highly Commended, Mud Cleaner 3,000 by Joe F, English Martyrs’ Catholic Voluntary Academy
  • Winner, Police Robot by Evie, Home School
  • Winner, Chimney Cleaner by Callan P, Netherseal St Peters Primary

Year 2

  • Highly Commended, The Eye Mask by Felicity B, Ashover Primary School
  • Winner, Smart Bag by Elissa B, Humberstone Junior Academy
  • Winner, Shower Lo Heater by Eloise C, Ashover Primary School

Year 3

  • Highly Commended, The Animal Translator by Matyldaj, Christ the king catholic primary
  • Winner, Storyteller by Alona K, Humberstone Junior Academy
  • Winner, The Crazy Pillow Head by Piper W, Oakwood Junior School
  • Highly Commended, The Tree Thrower by Juwairiyah C, Berkeley Primary

Year 4

  • Highly Commended, The Cup Bringer 90000 by Bobbie L, Oakwood Junior School
  • Winner, Autism & Dyslexia Headphones by Udham K, Ashover Primary School
  • Winner, A Bottle 3D printer by Kateryna F, Berkeley Primary

Year 5

  • Highly Commended, Camero by Tilly R, Oakwood Junior School
  • Highly Commended, Term-i-nator by George P, Saint Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy
  • Winner, Solar Pannelled Bathroom by Beux B, Chapel-en-le-firth Primary School
  • Winner, Paw- Pixel by Evie B, Chapel-en-le-firth Primary School

Year 6

  • Highly Commended, The Magic Spoon by Antonina K, Saint Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy
  • Highly Commended, Kiddie Buggy by Oma I, St Josephs Catholic Voluntary
  • Winner, OXALERTby Isla K, Ashover Primary School
  • Winner, The Waap by Kaiya M, Saint Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy

Year 7

  • Highly Commended, The Wake up clock by Jamie L, Sir John Nelthorpe School
  • Winner, Watch by Charlotte J, Sir John Nelthorpe School
  • Winner, Ride Pals by Mason W, Sir John Nelthorpe School

Year 8

  • Winner, The Cusdem Controler by Alliyah M, Esland School Grantham

Year 9

  • Winner, Owl Tech by Tayyaba Naz, Normanton House School
  • Winner, Eternal Watch by Lana A, Normanton House School

Year 10

  • Winner, Turn your voice down by Owen A, St Hugh’s School
  • Winner, Bully-O-Matic by Victor F, St Hugh’s School

Year 11

  • Winner, The Adaptable Hoodie by Hawke S, Boston Endeavour Academy

Congratulations to all the pupils recognised at the East Central England ceremony, including Isla from Ashover Primary School, whose idea “OXALERT” received the special Judges’ Award.

Each year, Primary Engineer’s university and industry partners select an idea from the previous year’s shortlisted entries to develop into a working prototype. This year, “The Hearing Band Cochlear” prototype was unveiled at the ceremony, brought to life by The Newark College and the Air and Space Institute based on an idea by Year 4 pupil Samuel H.

Primary Engineer thanks its national and regional partners for fully funding the competition and helping bring engineering into classrooms across East Central England.

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

The 2026/27 competition is now open. Teachers can register for full competition access and resources here: https://leadersaward.com/resource-area-registration/

Primary Engineer Public Exhibitions and Award Ceremonies continue across the UK throughout July, showcasing thousands of pupil-led engineering ideas. Find out more: https://leadersaward.com/exhibitions-and-events/