Now is the time to enter the 2013 Junior Saltire Award

1st December 2012

The search is on to find the pupils who could be Scotland's marine renewables experts of the future and winners of Skills Development Scotland's 2013 Junior Saltire Awards.

Schools are being asked to create a blueprint, design, build and test a wave powered generator which would be suitable for Scottish waters. Entries are being invited in three categories from primary five to seven pupils, S1 to S3, and S4 to S6 secondary pupils in the competition which is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).

Following on from the success of the Junior Saltire Awards in previous years, the aim is to raise awareness of the exciting developments and opportunities of marine renewables in Scotland. Junior Saltire Award entries can be from a team of four pupils or a whole class and there are school prizes of up to £750 and medals to be won.

Fergus Ewing MSP, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Tourism, said: "Scotland leads the world in renewable energy, and we have tremendous potential, both in our natural resources, and in our talented and inspired young people. Many of these young people will one day find themselves working in exciting new job opportunities in the marine renewables industry. The Junior Saltire Award celebrates that talent, and I'd encourage teams from all over Scotland to apply."

Teams are being asked to register for the competition by December 21 and submit their design blueprint by February 28 2013. The next step is to create a working model by April 30 next year.

This year, primary five to seven pupils should design, build and test a simple wave powered generator which should be used to light an LED. S1 and S3 pupils have been set the challenge of producing a wave powered generator and pupils in S4 to S6 have to design and test a floating wave powered generator and to evaluate performance under different conditions.

Shortlisted schools for the final event will test their models in the Test Tank at the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering Strathclyde University on June 13, 2013, followed by final judging at the Celebration of Engineering and Science at Big Bang Scotland on Friday June 14, 2013 at the SECC.

Skills Development Scotland Chief Executive Damien Yeates said: "The Junior Saltire Award is designed to spark Scotland's school pupil's imagination and interest in engineering. It will set them a challenge to create a design which will harness this country's potential in renewable energy and we are looking forward to seeing their ideas."
Dr Lesley Sawers, Chief Executive Officer of the SCDI, added: "We are delighted to support the Junior Saltire Prize Awards 2013 through our Young Engineers and Science Clubs programme. The Awards challenge young people across Scotland to research the issues around marine renewables and come up with innovative ideas for new energy solutions."
Full details of how to enter the competition are available at www.sds.co.uk/saltireprize.

Set up in 2008 by the Scottish Government, the Saltire Prize is Scotland's £10million challenge to accelerate the commercial development of marine energy. Scotland boasts a quarter of Europe's tidal power and a tenth of its wave power potential.

The Junior Saltire Prize Award is managed by Skills Development Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI).