Winners of the 2013/14 Aluminium Design & Technology (D&T) Challenge, a design competition for 11 to 14 year old pupils, took center stage at Birmingham’s innovative science museum, Thinktank as the aluminium industry gathered to recognise and celebrate their creative talents and winning projects.

There were four winners in all, with one individual chosen from each of the three subject categories – Transport, Buildings and Packaging Recycling – plus one overall team winner chosen from entries across all the three Challenges. Such was the quality of submissions that the judges created two additional Highly Commended awards.

This was the second running of the Alu D&T Challenge, a national schools competition designed to get young people aged 11-14 thinking creatively and innovatively about Aluminum and its material properties. In particular as an infinitely recyclable and sustainable material and the contribution it can make towards a more sustainable lifestyle. The Challenge provides a free and flexible D&T online teaching resource developed by the Aluminium Packaging Recycling Organisation (Alupro) in partnership with the Aluminium Federation (ALFED) and leading aluminium recycler, Novelis UK.

The Challenge is also endorsed by the Design & Technology Association (DATA) and with judges from all sponsoring and supporting organisations as well as Jaguar Land Rover and Prof. Michael Stacey, Chair in Architecture and Director of Architecture at Nottingham University, the Challenge strives for high standards in sustainable design and originality, in addition to delivering a highly educational project.

The four category winners were awarded a Cube 2^nd Generation 3D printer for their school as well as a £200 cash prize for each of the winners and the winning team.  The two Highly Commended winners received £100 and £250 vouchers for equipment for their D&T department.

Speaking about the quality of entrants and the winning submissions at the prize-giving ceremony in Birmingham, Alu D&T Challenge judge, Prof. Michael Stacey, said: “This year’s entries convey the passion, creativity and innovation that we were seeking from the Challenge. The quality of submissions has been extremely high and the level of detail and thinking that has gone into their designs shines through. Key Stage Three pupils (11- 14 years) are not inhibited by exposure to conventional designs and for that reason we have seen some truly imaginative and clever entries,  focusing on the many benefits of using aluminium to make architecture. Excellent drawings of garden buildings inspired by nature.”

The four winners and schools were:

• Jack Armstrong Williams of Blundell’s Schoo, Tivertonl – winner of Transport Challenge
• Hannah Beckett of Belmont, Mill Hill Prep School – winner of Built Environment Challenge
• Ambre Bexter of Notting Hill & Ealing High School – winner of Packaging Recycling Challenge
• Team (Blair Fraser, Ruairidh Gardner & Ben Munro) of Alva Academy, Clackmannanshire – team winners of Built Environment Challenge

And the two highly commended were:

• Team (Hope Hutchison, Rachel Glinsman, Anna Morris & Katie Bearcroft) of The Stephen Perse Foundation, Cambridge – Built Environment Challenge
• Patrick Chorley of Charterhouse School, Surrey – Built Environment Challenge

All the prize-winning designs can be viewed on the Alu D&T Challenge website together with a list of all the finalists.

Diana Caldwell, Marketing & Communications Manager of Alupro, said: “Once again it was great to receive entries from schools around the UK and to see the diverse range of creative ideas and design solutions for the Challenges we had set.  The Challenge is proving popular with young designers with over 1,350 pupils taking part since the project was launched two years ago. Many students had really thought ‘outside the box’ and researched their designs very thoroughly to present some incredible work – so a big thank you to all teachers and pupils who got involved.”