The National Science + Engineering Competition is open to all 11-18 year olds living in the UK and in full-time education. The Competition rewards students who have achieved excellence in a science, technology, engineering and maths project.


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It is open to 11-18 year olds in the UK (excluding Crown Dependencies including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and provides young people with the opportunity to build their skills and confidence in project-based work.

Competition entry

Thousands of young people enter the Competition every year, either as a team or as an individual, via two entry routes:

  • Heats: Projects showcase their work at heats held at selected Big Bang Near Me Fairs from January - October.
  • Online: Projects enter a written or film entry between July and 31st October.

The National Finals

The best projects from across the UK are then invited to the National Finals, which are held in March each year at The Big Bang UK Young Scientists and Engineers Fair. The projects showcase their work to over 75,000 people and compete for a range of fantastic prizes worth over £20,000, including international experience awards. This year's finals will be held at The NEC, Birmingham in March 2016.

See how the Competition works below:



Entry Option 1 – Heats

There are heats held at selected Big Bang Near Me Fairs across the UK from January to 31 October each year.

Projects are invited to enter through their local heat. All competitor projects are showcased to the public and entering through a Near Me Fair is a fantastic way of building communication skills.

The best projects are then invited to go to the National Finals in March.

To find your local heat and to enter please see click here.