The Ultimate STEM Challenge 2018/19

Competition for UK 11 to 14s

Put your STEM learning into practice in the real world

Get creative and improve lives

Build skills you’ll need in the world of work

Work on your entry in class, during STEM club or independently

Win incredible prizes

The challenge
Reimagine the solution to a
real-life problem
 Video
screenshot
What could you reimagine?

Will it be something big, Or a small, everyday item, Will it be a thing, like … or a process, like how to
like a more efficient way like a hairdryer or stove? a sticking plaster … look after your health?
to get clean energy?

Whether it helps solve a global problem or makes day-to-day life run a bit smoother for people, show us how your
idea will help to improve lives.
How does it work?
1. Get started 3. Enter!
Form a team of 2, 3 or 4 people. Ask an adult to submit your project online.
Decide what you will reimagine:
Who will you help, and what aspect of their lives 4. Final
are you going to improve?
Finalists will be announced in March and the Grand Final
will be held in June.
2. Carry out your project
Develop your solution and complete your project.
Document your process! We need photos and/or
videos at all stages.
Make a short video or PowerPoint explaining
your work. Questions?
Win incredible prizes!
• Amazing day at the Science Museum in London for
the grand final
• £1,000 worth of prizes to be won
• Prize bag full of Science Museum and STEM
goodies
• All entries shortlisted for the semi-finals will receive
a prestigious Bronze CREST Award from the
British Science Association

Get inspired
Judging criteria
We’re looking for you to harness STEM to solve real-life problems. Entries will be judged by how well they meet these criteria:
1. Is it STEM?
Clearly explain the science, engineering
or technology behind your design.
2. Is there a prototype?
Bring your idea to life with a prototype,
digital model, mock up or proof of
concept.
3. Does it help?
Prove you’re solving a real problem and
making life better for people.
4. Does it work?
Show us your STEM research and how
it’s a realistic, practical and safe solution.
5. Is it clear?
Clearly explain your ideas and the STEM
behind them, using words, photos and
video.
6. Does it stand out?
Show us that your idea is different,
original and creative – but built on real
STEM! Detailed criteria
What will you
reimagine?
Not sure which problem to tackle?
Try 3 or more ideas below for 5 minutes each
Room 101
Make a list of things you would
nominate to banish from the world.
Think about your life or the wider world.
In their shoes
List different groups of people in your
community. Imagine a day in their life.
What problems might they run into?
Past the sell-by date
What things in daily life have become
obsolete? (Think landline phones,
carrying cash...) List as many as you
can.
Not from around here
You’ve been dropped in a different
country. How might daily struggles
might be different from your own?
Wall of ideas
Write any ideas that come to you on
separate sticky notes and put them on
the wall. Then move notes to organise
them into themes.
1+1
Take one minute to sketch an idea,
then one minute to explain it to your
team.
Stuck?
Here are 6 ideas you can use

Reusable packa
ging
Power an everyday for sandwiches, An app that empowers
crisps
device using renewable or chocolate. young women.
or human energy.

e w c hil dr en’s toy to A way to get to school ‘Smart’

An gineers. clo
inspire fu tu re e n that fits in your backpack. very you thing for the
ng or ve
ry old.
Got your problem? Use STEM to find a solution!
Work backwards
Imagine how life will be once your problem is
solved. Work backwards to show the steps that
would get you to that final phase. How would
STEM fix the problem? Work alone and then
share your ideas with your group.

Be a pessimist
Look at your best ideas. List all the things that could go
wrong, and reasons why they wouldn’t work.
Go back and think about how to get around those
problems.
Make it work, make it brilliant
h a t w ill it n ee d ?
W d to make
u’ll nee
List what yo
o ur p r o je c t a reality. A
y of space?
tu re r? L o ts Any questions?
manufac ey supply?
le s s m o n List any questions that you don’t
End
think your group has covered yet.

What if…?
Think of some hypotheticals.
What if your solution had to be What’s great about it
bigger, cheaper, faster, work in List reasons why your
?
a different place, etc.? solution is
better than others out th
ere.
Idea checklist
Got your solution? Great! Time to put it to the test

Have we identified who we want to help? Could we build some kind of prototype?

Will our idea really help these people in

Can we get the materials we need for it?
some way? (Can we find a way to test this?)

Does it use STEM? Can we build it safely?

Is it different from what’s already out there? Can we find ways to improve it?

If you can answer YES to all the questions above, it sounds like you could have a winning idea ready to develop!
How can
research help
us?
How can research help us?
What questions should we ask to find out more?

The problem Existing solutions How STEM can help

s es th is p roblem?
a u s will
What c
lving this
How have people tried to What science topic
How will so ? solve the problem before? help us solve this p
roblem?
m m a k e a difference logy or
proble
lv in g this problem What already works … How could techno
w il l s o us, like
How ilities? and what doesn’t? engineering help
create possib How can we avoid copying materials or gadg
ets?
ose
existing ideas? How can we repurp
existing ideas?
How do we ‘unpack’ the STEM?
Keep asking ‘How will that work?’, to identify the STEM behind your idea.
It’s really important to demonstrate the science behind your idea / show how your solution applies real engineering
or technology. So how do you identify the right links to STEM?

Ask ‘How will Find out if

Spot the STEM
that work?’ you’re right

Describe every step Identify the STEM topic Research the STEM topics you
or feature in as much that’s relevant to each identify. Can you back up every
detail as you can. step or feature. step or feature with real STEM?

Keep asking ‘How will that work?’!

Use what you discover to change or improve
your ideas so your solution will really work!
How do we
develop our idea?
Prototyping and building
3D printed 3D computer
How can we bring our ideas to life?
model

Quick sketches
and junk models Labelled design

Make your final,

best version

Discuss and interact Screen designs

with each version

Detailed model
App screen
Make new versions designs
with your new ideas
Developing and refining

• What’s good about it and might work well?

• What’s not so good or might not work?
s e th e s e questions
U rsion of • Are we being realistic?
e e a c h v e
to mak
es and
your sketch • Are we basing our ideas on real STEM?
to ty pe s e v en better!
pro • Could we be more exciting?
• What’s missing?
• What could we remove?
• What could we make simpler?
• What could be better?

Developing and refining
Design a mini investigation
Survey
Test an idea
Create a survey using multiple
choice, Y/N, or ‘scale’ questions.
For example,
‘On a scale of 1-5, how useful is
this product to you?’
• What conclusions can you draw
from your survey?
• How can you use your survey
data to help refine your project?
User Testing
Test a prototype
Create tasks or questions to see how
your prototype is used. For example:
• How would someone turn it on?
• How would someone hold it?
• Collect as much data as you can.
• What conclusions can you draw
from this data?
• How can the data help refine
your project?
Don’t forget!
Document your work
as you go – take
video or photos for
your PPT or film
entry.
Investigation
Test the science
Plan an investigation to test the
science behind your design.
• Create a hypothesis to test.
• Identify your independent,
dependent and control variables.
• Do your investigation, gather and
interpret your data.
• Make sure your investigation is
valid, reliable and repeatable.
How do we
make our
entry?
Your final entry: choose a format
Option 1
PowerPoint Presentation
• No more than 20 slides
• No more than 10 Mb file size
Option 2
YouTube video + Supporting
Information sheet
• No more than 3 minutes long
• Privacy settings must be set to
‘anyone with the link’
• Video submissions must be
accompanied by Supporting Info
Sheet as a MS Word file (.doc/.docx)
 Don’t forget!
B Make sure to review
the judging criteria!

If you make a PowerPoint If you make a video

Write clearly Sound check

Check your spelling and grammar. Make sure everyone speaks clearly and
check that the sound in your video is
Use pictures
easy to hear.
Pictures and diagrams can be more
effective at explaining your ideas than Time is ticking
writing lots of words. You’ve only got 3 minutes, so be short
and to the point.
Remember copyright
Don’t use any music, images, videos or Supporting doc
sounds that you didn’t create yourself. Video entries MUST be accompanied
by a Supporting Information form.
What NOT to include
Your names – choose a team name instead

Any other identifying information, such as your address or school

Stuff that doesn’t belong to you – no music or images that you haven’t
taken yourself or got permission to use

This is to keep you safe!

How to
enter
How to enter
Your teacher goes on to BPES and completes the form.
They will need:
• Your team name
Use Screenshot
• Info on any adult support you’ve had
• To know where you did your work (e.g. STEM club,
during school, at home)
• Either your PowerPoint (10 Mb max) OR
YouTube link and completed supporting info form (PDF)

If you have any issues, contact us.

GOOD LUCK