All 12 finalists in the Manufacturing Technology Association’s (MTA) annual Technology, Design and Innovation (TDI) Challenge impressed the judges with their engineering talent.

Open to all Technology and Design students, the nation-wide competition is split into two age groups: 14- to 16-year-olds and 17- to 19-year-olds.

The 12 finalists were chosen by the MTA’s Education and Training committee, and the final judging and award ceremony took place on 9 July at the Yamazaki Mazak European Headquarters in Worcester.

The two overall winners were: Ben Murray, from Balcarras School, Cheltenham, in the 14-16 category with his design for a hand-held stabiliser for filming on a mobile phone; and Charlie Smith, from Sedbergh School, Cumbria, in the 17-19 category for his ‘SOLA’ — a water-heating stove for outdoor expeditions.

The MTA’s TDI Challenge aims to help teachers and lecturers promote the work of their D&T and Engineering students and to celebrate the creativity and innovation taking place inside the curriculum. The TDI Challenge is free to enter for all students and schools.

The chosen finalists displayed their work in Mazak’s atrium and gave a brief presentation on their projects to the judging panel. All finalists received a guided tour of Yamazaki Mazak’s European Technology Centre, a presentation certificate and a Raspberry Pi.