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CompetitionPrimary Engineer

Leaders Award: If You Were An Engineer, What Would You Do? 2026/27

A free national design competition. Pupils interview an engineer, spot a real-world problem, and draw and annotate an invention with a letter explaining why it should be built. Every entry is read by an engineering professional and graded. Entry is through a school or home-education group.

By the Born to Engineer editorial team Checked

At a glance

Run by
Primary Engineer[1]
Who it’s for
Pupils aged 3 to 19 in UK schools and home-educated groups. Years 10 to 13 enter in their own year-group category. A teacher registers the school.
Entry
A teacher or school enters
Worth
Every entry gets a personalised graded certificate (Pass, Merit, Distinction or Shortlisted). Two winners are chosen in each year group.[2]
Cost
Free
Year groups
Year 10, Year 11, Year 12, Year 13
Where
UK-wide (UK-wide)
Format
Hybrid

Sources

3 sources

  1. Primary Engineer

    Leaders Award: If you were an engineer, what would you do?

    It’s fully-funded for all UK schools and home-educated groups and asks pupils aged 3-19 the question ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’.

    Checked 23 October 2026

  2. Primary Engineer

    Primary Engineer Competitions

    Every entry is read by an engineering professional and given a grade Pass, Merit, Distinction or Shortlisted. Each entry receives a certificate with the pupil name and grade on it.

    Checked 23 October 2026

  3. Primary Engineer

    Resource Area Registration

    Please note we accept submissions until 25th March 2027. Engineers will grade (pass, merit, distinction) all the school entries.

    Checked 23 October 2026

Details checked by the Born to Engineer editorial team. Always confirm dates on the provider’s site before applying.

More competition opportunities

All opportunities

Sentinus Young Innovators 2026 (Young Engineer of the Year)

Closes in 7 days

CompetitionSentinus

Students choose a Sentinus engineering challenge (Retrofit Revolution, Flood Futures or Smart Streets) or their own idea and submit an online poster. Finalists are invited to Belfast to be judged by industry experts.

Worth
£1,000 for each category winner. The overall Sentinus Young Innovator wins a funded trip to the International Science and Engineering Fair 2027 in the USA, plus an accelerator programme and industry links.
Who
Individuals or teams of up to 3 for the Young Engineer category (there are also Young Scientist, Young Mathematician and Young Coder categories). Applicants must be aged under 19 on 1 July 2027.
Entry
Students or a school can enter
Deadline
Registrations close 31 October 2026. Online poster submission by 6 November 2026. Live finals on Thursday 26 November 2026 at Ulster University, Belfast.

Visit sentinus.co.uk (opens in a new tab)Details: Sentinus Young Innovators 2026 (Young Engineer of the Year)

Davidson Inventors Challenge 2026/27

Closes in 8 days

CompetitionUniversity of Cambridge Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, with IChemE

Teams pick a UN Sustainable Development Goal, research a real problem and propose a sustainable, innovative engineering solution. Each team gets a mentor and the process runs from November to a final in April.

Worth
An expert mentor for each team, webinars, and for the winners a cash prize, a trophy and a day at the department.
Who
Teams of Year 11 and Year 12 students from UK schools. Maximum of two submissions per school; up to 100 projects selected.
Entry
A teacher or school enters
Deadline
Team sign-up and initial project outline by 1 November 2026. Final reports mid March 2027, shortlisted teams announced early April, final at the Cambridge department in late April 2027.

Visit ceb.cam.ac.uk (opens in a new tab)Details: Davidson Inventors Challenge 2026/27

QEPrize Create the Trophy 2027

Closes in 34 days

CompetitionQueen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation

Design the trophy for the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering using a free 3D design app and submit it online. The winning design is 3D printed and presented to the prize winners in London.

Worth
A high-end laptop, a model of the winning trophy, and a trip to London to see the 3D printed design presented to the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering winners.
Who
Anyone aged 14 to 24 on 27 November 2026 (UK students can enter). Entry is individual, via the free QEPrize 3D Design Studio app.
Entry
Students apply themselves
Deadline
Entries opened on 1 September 2026. Closing date is 23:59 GMT on 27 November 2026.

Visit qeprize.org (opens in a new tab)Details: QEPrize Create the Trophy 2027