National STEM the Flow competition launching in August

Following two successful recent regional competitions, our unique STEM design challenge to tackle source to sea marine litter will be open to all schools across Scotland in the next academic year.

Delivered as part of our award-winning Upstream Battle campaign, the STEM the Flow competition encourages young people to investigate and design solutions to tackle marine litter at source with a pupil-led STEM project for Primary 5 to Secondary 3.

Marine litter pollution is one of the biggest challenges facing the environment and has an effect on everything from flooding to air quality and even our food. Eighty per cent of marine litter comes from land: washed into gutters, blown into streams, lost down drains, it makes it's way into waterways and eventually to the sea. We must stop this cycle of litter and prevent it from entering the sea in the first place.

STEM the Flow challenges pupils to research and develop their own ideas to tackle the issues around source to sea litter. These could be ways of collecting litter that is already in our waterways, or preventing litter from getting into them in the first place. As part of the challenge, participants must investigate source to sea litter in their area, identify the problem, raise awareness and design an engineering-based solution to the issue. Participants will have to work as a team to create a project plan, conduct research, conceptualise a solution, produce a scientific poster and build a model to showcase their idea.

Entries will be judged by public vote and feature in a digital showcase on our website at the end of the competition in December.

The STEM the Flow competition will commence in the Autumn term. Information webinars for educators and STEM coordinators about the challenge will be held in August and September. 

Register now to take part in the challenge and stay up to date will the latest information.