To infinity and beyond

Youngsters who dream of being the next Tim Peake or Brian Cox now have the perfect opportunity to start changing the world - through the KM Bright Spark Awards. But it’s not just wannabe astronauts or particle physicists who can join in. Any Primary or Secondary school children with a flair for science, technology, engineering, or maths can enter a project.

The overall champions of the competition will win £500.

Bright Sparks autumn launch for Kent from KM Charity Team on Vimeo.

Previous entries have included a GPS-tracker shoe, a filter to make water in developing countries drinkable, and a first aid drone to be dispatched from hospitals to people who were injured. Other entrants investigated whether classical music helps short-term memory, and whether being out in nature lowers people’s stress levels.

There are three categories: innovation, invention, and investigation.

The idea is for a team of pupils to work together, but youngsters can enter on their own. And if they have too many bright ideas to choose between, they needn’t worry - teams can submit as many entries as they like, as each will be judged separately. Those shortlisted will be invited to the Dragons’ Den-style final, at which they will be quizzed about their work by a panel of judges.

Each team will be filmed beforehand to showcase their work, and these videos will be screened at the final before each team takes to the stage to talk about their project. The judges will then put their heads together and pick category winners - who will receive prizes - as well as the overall winning team to take home the £500.

The Bright Spark Awards are run by the KM Charity Team and supported by Pfizer, Golding Homes, Megger, Global Associates, Discovery Park, Benenden Hospital, BAE Systems, and Astro Communications, all of whom will be on the judging panel this year.

Sarah-Jane Leipnik, community development advisor at Golding Homes, explained: “The competition is designed to raise the aspirations of students and encourage them to pursue careers in science and maths.” Entries needn't be brand new projects designed specifically for the competition. They can be projects undertaken for coursework, at a school's science club, or even projects from a previous year at school which have been revisited and undergone further development.

The deadline for schools or groups of pupils to submit entries is noon on Friday, June 1. For more information, or to enter, visit the Bright Spark website

Contact Details

Maxine Tarquini
Telephone: 08442 640291
Email: mtarquini@thekmgroup.co.uk