Team of Sheffield students one of 45 international finalists in running for youth award

Since its launch back in January, the BIEA International STEM Youth Innovation competition has attracted huge interest from schools and teachers around the world, with applications from 32 different countries. Run by the British International Education Association, in association with Born Free, this year’s competition is on the theme of ‘fighting extinction via drone technology.’

Teams were asked to come up with a drone design to aid in the conservation of endangered species, and projects submitted in the first round focused on an enormous variety of endangered animals, including snow leopards, black rhinos, and elephants. The 45 shortlisted teams represent 18 countries.

Sheffield Park Academy principal, Debbie McShane, said: “As a school committed to providing an education with character, we are constantly looking for new opportunities helping to broaden our students’ horizons. This competition is a perfect demonstration of that, pitching our students against other teams from around the globe to help fight extinction.

“We’re absolutely delighted that, in the first year that this competition has gone international, the academy has been chosen to go through to the next round. A huge well done to all involved.”

The teams must now build a drone to reflect their design ideas from the first round.The finalists will be invited to London Royal Air Force Museum on July 4, when the winner will be announced, and the £5,000 grand prize will be presented.

Lead judge, Dr Alex Holmes, said: “The overall quality of the reports was astounding, more so when we consider that many young people were submitting reports in a second language. In some cases, the standard of entries were worthy of undergraduates rather than secondary school students.”