On Monday 20 June, two teams of Year 9 Academic Scholars attended the National Teen Tech Awards held at the IET in London. The Teen Tech Awards allow participants to apply science and technology to real world problems through their own ideas.

The Awards provided pupils with a powerful opportunity to develop innovative solutions that are designed to make life easier, simpler, or better. Both teams set up their own stands with their prototypes displayed. Competitors pitched their ideas to a panel of industry and education expert judges.

Team Imperishable Jiggle qualified in the Energy & Environment Category with their design for a fidget cube that could power LED lights. The idea behind the invention was to spread awareness of energy production and consumption through a fun toy.

Team Strudel developed an app with the intention of helping pupils manage their work-life balance. The app allowed users to timetable their free time and activities, alongside their homework assignments. The app also featured a homework cap to ensure that pupils were not set too many assignments during a week. In addition, the app contained accessible links to wellbeing sites and information, as well as its very own wellbeing chat function. The team qualified in the Best Research category, as they had sourced both secondary and primary data that demonstrated a real need for this type of app for teens.

All the teams enjoyed meeting each other and talking with the judges throughout the day. The event facilitated connections to be made between the entrepreneurs of the future. Pupils have had the opportunity to develop their project management skills and to understand their individual role in bringing together an innovation.

As the competition came to an end, Team Strudel came home with the Best Teamwork Award. Team Imperishable Jiggle were awarded certificates for Communication Skills. All pupils were keen to turn their innovations into a reality and felt energised by the experience.