Competitions For Your School
Climate Change Champions
As part of its Climate Change Communications iniative Defra are seeking to enlist young champions in the 10 - 18 yrs age group to help spread the climate change message to other young people. To enter pupils need to send in a news report, in any format they choose, about climate change in the UK. Defra are looking for 9 young people, one from each region in England, who will come to London to meet ministers, even the PM potentially, and get some input from the UK Climate Impacts Programme on what the effects of climate change are in their home region. They will then go on a trip to Switzerland (by train) to see glacial retreat in action. On their return Defra hope that the young champions will help the country by being an engaging group of young spokespeople about climate change, especially to their own peer group. The competition closes on 31 March, and the main events for the winners will take place from May onwards. To find out more click here
Renewable Energy Schools Trail - REST
Interested in learning about renewable energy and finding out how it could be used within your school? Want to enter your ideas into a competition with the chance to win prizes for your school? Yes! Well, just click here
Solar Powered Car Competition
The Energy Saving Trust, with sponsorship and support from n-ergise, are running a competition for pupils in the 8 - 11 yrs age group to learn more about solar power. In this competition schools will be given design materials and advice to enable them to enter teams in an inter school competition to build the fastest solar powered car or one with the most innovative or even wackiest design. The aim is to find 50 schools across the North East to take part in regional heats with exciting prizes on offer to the winning school, which can win its very own renewable energy facility. To find out more about the competition contact Colin MacDonald of the Energy Saving Trust at the email link at the foot of this page, quoting "n-ergise and solar car competition"
This competition follows on from a similar competition run successfully in 2005. Full reports are available about this competition and these can throw more light on what is required again in this years competition. The 2005 competition was organised by the Energy Saving Trust’s North East Advice Centre together with Newcastle City Council Energy Centre and was sponsored by the North East Energy Partnership, which is the 'daddy' to n-ergise, Nissan and npower. Again the competition was for key stage 2 (8 – 11 yrs) children. There are two categories: one for the best design, and one for speed. In all 12 schools (in teams of 6) took part in the final which was held on 7 July 2005 and which was a great fun day out for all.The winning design solar cars were put on display at the Discovery museum in Newcastle during the Summer holidays in 2005.
Creative Environment Network
CEN offers a number of activities including assemblies/quizzes on energy efficiency and renewable energy, themed poster competitions with prizes such as solar powered radios, school home energy surveys and ready prepared home energy resource packs provided by the EST (Energy Matters Pack).
Annual "chemistry at work" event for schools (covers hydrogen & fuel cells)
‘Chemistry at Work’ events take place in Tees Valley area. Chemistry at Work events offer school students the opportunity to appreciate the place of chemistry in everyday life and the world of work, with particular emphasis on what is happening in their local area. They aim to show a positive image of the chemical sciences as exciting, interesting and wealth-creating activities that are worth considering as a career.
CREATE
Every month CREATE run an online competition where the prize can be a solar powered radio. Just answer a simple question on line and you may be the lucky winner.
The Solar Energy Society
The Solar Energy Society is busy developing a range of educational materials and is collecting interesting examples and activities that address or encourage ‘Solar Schools’ to provide a range of ‘tools’ useful for encouraging pupils to understand energy and environmental issues that have a global impact. They also run a competition for students as part of this. If you wish to participate you just need to fill in a simple questionnaire
