Judges dazzled as Fylde coast schools compete for £2k Young Engineers prize

Teams from eight Fylde coast secondary schools showed off their science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) knowledge at Blackpool and the Fylde College.

Check out our gallery of photos from the event here.

They were vying for the title of The Gazette Stem Champions of the Year 2019 – with the winning school receiving £1,000 and two runners up each pocketing £500.

The competition is sponsored by Cuadrilla Resources, in association with Blackpool and the Fylde College.

The schools that took part were Armfield Academy, Baines School, Hodgson Academy, Lytham St Annes Technology and Performing Arts College, Millfield Science and Performing Arts College, Montgomery High School, Cardinal Allen Catholic High School and St Bede’s Catholic High School.

The Stem Champions challenge showcased work carried out throughout the academic year, including at after-school clubs.

Each school mounted displays and was represented by a small team of pupils who gave short presentations and then answered questions from a panel of judges including Cuadrilla finance and corporate services director Jill Overland, B&FC’s head of engineering Mandy Pritchard, B&FC curriculum manager for advanced engineering Abdelrahman Abdelazim and Sue Bentley, regional promotions and events manager at The Gazette’s parent company JPIMedia.

Mandy said: “All the children made excellent presentations and were a credit to themselves and their schools.

“The level of creativity and enthusiasm speaks volumes for the achievements and attitude of all those involved.”

Jill added: “I’ve had the privilege to judge the STEM Champions competition for a number of years and I’m always impressed by the quality and depth of understanding by the students taking part.

“It’s incredible to see the enthusiasm of all the students and their teachers for science, which made the judging even more challenging. Once again the event was a great showcase of how schools across the Fylde are at the forefront of delivering innovative STEM projects in the classroom.”

The Stem Champions event is part of The Gazette’s Young Engineers 2019 challenge which carries a huge £10,000 prize pot.

The challenge is open to Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre school pupils and aims to encourage tomorrow’s engineers and scientists in a fun and engaging way.

The Stem Champions will be announced at the Young Engineers qualifying event at the college’s Advanced Technology Centre on March 1, when up to 20 secondary schools will be presented with a ‘blind’ challenge during the day to test all their STEM abilities.

The top 10 teams go through to the final on March 29, hoping to claim the £10,000 first prize.