Our BIGGEST ever Big Ideas Programme National Final was an inspiring and unforgettable day, bringing together 62 of the UK’s most passionate young innovators to showcase their ideas for a better future.
Following months of hard work, dedication, and creativity, our finalist teams came together at Westminster, beginning their day with tours of the House of Commons before heading to the Attlee Suite in Portcullis House for the main event.
The event saw over 100 students, teachers, judges, business partners, MPs and VIP guests, all coming together to celebrate youth-led innovation and sustainability. The day featured networking, a shared lunch, and – most importantly – powerful presentations from our National Finalists, before culminating in our 2026 awards ceremony.
Our 2026 Finalists
Over the past 10 months, these young people have developed thoughtful and ambitious solutions to real-world challenges – from climate action and biodiversity to mental health, food systems, and community resilience.
Their confidence, creativity, and commitment were evident throughout the day, as each team took to the stage to present their Big Idea to our panel of expert judges.
Every team that took part in this year’s National Final should be incredibly proud. Their ideas demonstrate not only innovation, but also a deep understanding of the challenges facing our world – and the role they can play in creating solutions.
From tackling climate change and restoring ecosystems to improving wellbeing and strengthening communities, these young people are already making a difference.
Read all about the finalists and their big ideas on our previous blog here.
Meet the Judges
Our expert judging panel brought a wealth of knowledge and experience from across industry, education, and social impact:
Noorafsha Manga
Noorafsha is an engineer and Apprenticeship Delivery Manager at London South Bank University, supporting STEM careers. She also represents Solutions for the Planet as a Non-Executive Board Director.
Sean Greenwood
Sean is Deputy Chair of the Pipeline Industries Guild, the Big Ideas Programme’s national partner. A Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, he has 28 years’ water industry experience and is Technical Director at Stantec.
Eliška Gooch
Eliška, our Young Person Judge, is studying Environmental Science at the University of Nottingham and is the Department for Education’s Youth Sustainability Champion, helping shape its Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy.
Laura Watford
Saeed Atcha
Saeed is Founder of Youth Leads UK, a community leader dedicated to youth empowerment for over a decade, and was the youngest MBE recipient in the 2019 New Year Honours.
And the winners are…
After an incredibly difficult decision making process, our judges selected the following winners:
1st Place
Monthly Matters
Wetherby High School
2nd Place
Little Things
Moorside High School
3rd Place
Eco B.O.M.B.
Sponne School
Special Awards
Alongside our main competition prizes, we were proud to celebrate teams who demonstrated excellence across key areas of the programme through our Special Awards (read more about our special awards here):
Barker Award
This award recognises outstanding communication, storytelling, and confidence on stage. It’s difficult to think of anyway Atmos Shield could have presented better. Their presentation combined confidence, clarity and creativity, with a question-and-answer format that drew the audience in and demonstrated excellent teamwork throughout. A truly deserving Barker Award winner.
Atmos Shield
John Port Spencer Academy
Schofield Award
This award recognises a mindset that lifts others up and embraces the experience with energy, purpose, and generosity. This team are extremely passionate about their idea, and showed a really sound understanding of a youth-related issue that is so relevant – ways to bring a divided society together. And they have shown resilience and worked so hard as a team right from day one.
Reach Reliable
Wetherby High School
Jamie Baughan Award
This award honours creativity, bold thinking, and the courage to challenge ideas and push boundaries. This year’s recipients came up with a truly BIG Idea Big Idea, showing they are not afraid to think of how to tackle a seemingly impossible issue, and display the creative courage Jamie so faithfully believed in.
AURA
ATAM Academy
Celebrating Young Changemakers
We were thrilled to welcome 10 MPs to the event, each showing their support for teams from their local constituencies.
As well as listening to their local team present, many of the MPs stayed afterwards to chat with students, offering encouragement, asking questions and taking a genuine interest in their ideas. For many of the students, this was a rare opportunity to speak directly with decision-makers and feel that their voices were being heard.
Our host MP Saqib Bhatti spoke at the start and end of the day, reflecting on the creativity and determination shown by all teams. We were also delighted to welcome MP Kate Deardon as a special guest, who presented the Barker Award. As an alumna of the Big Ideas Programme, Kate was especially fitting for the role, having been taught by Elaine Barker, in whose honour the award is named.
Dr Llinos Jones, a parent of the winning team, said, “It made such a difference to them meeting [MP Sir Alec Shelbrooke]… He put them at ease and they felt so supported.” This kind of interaction was echoed across the day, with many students leaving feeling more confident, inspired, and motivated to keep developing their ideas.
Team Aura from ATAM Academy with MP Jas Athwal
Team 4CL from Oxclose Community Academy with MP Sharon Hodgson
Thank You
A huge thank you to our business partners, mentors, teachers, and judges who supported the programme throughout the year. Your guidance and encouragement make opportunities like this possible.
And most importantly – congratulations to all of our finalists. You are the innovators, leaders, and changemakers of tomorrow.
What’s Next?
We’re excited to see how these Big Ideas continue to evolve beyond the programme. Stay tuned for updates as our finalists take their ideas even further.
👉 Interested in getting involved in the Big Ideas Programme? Find out more here!