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

Young Engineers wow at ‘Scotland North’ 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 19th May 2026 in Aberdeen 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 34 pupils from schools across our ‘Scotland North’ region being celebrated.

Primary 1

  • Highly Commended – Andrew B, Avoch Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Joseph W, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Amber-Joy N, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Annabel F, Avoch Primary School

Primary 2

  • Highly Commended – Santiago S, St Joseph’s RC School
  • Highly Commended – Tianna H, Pairc School
  • Winner – Pheobe M, Paircs School
  • Winner – Ruairy G, Home Educated

Primary 3

  • Highly Commended – Tyler N, Brimmond School
  • Highly Commended – Maisie M, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Anna M, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Ruby F, Brimmond School

Primary 4

  • Highly Commended – Olivia L, Port Erroll Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Nellie A, Port Erroll Primary School
  • Winner – Carys V, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Sienna p, Avoch Primary School

Primary 5

  • Highly Commended – Orla M, Arnage School
  • Highly Commended – Matthew M, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Olivia F, Holm Primary School
  • Winner – Jude W, Avoch Primary School

Primary 6

  • Highly Commended – Grace R, Avoch Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Rory P, Speanbridge Primary School
  • Winner – William H, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Enuki G, Crown Primary

Primary 7

  • Highly Commended – Maeve Y, Speanbridge Primary School
  • Highly Commended – Millie P, Avoch Primary School
  • Winner – Kyara L, St Joseph’s RC School
  • Winner – Harry M, Dingwell Primary School

Secondary 1

  • Winner – Chloe J, Ellon Academy
  • Winner – Beth C, Ellon Academy

Secondary 2

  • Highly Commended – Ashley G, Ellon Academy
  • Winner – Kaiden Whyte, Peterhead Academy
  • Winner – Holly S, Peterhead Academy

Secondary 3

  • Winner – Thomas J, Ardnamurchan High School
  • Winner – Luca A, Ardnamurchan High School

Congratulations to all the pupils, including Primary 1 pupil, Amber-Joy, from Avoch Primary School, whose idea “Super Washing Line” 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.

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/