IET Faraday® Challenge Days - Enter your school
Put your school forward for one of our exciting STEM activity days aimed at 12-13 year olds.
This annual competition consists of free, STEM activity days that introduce students to engineering, inspire them to consider engineering as a career and help to develop their practical and employability skills, including team-working, problem-solving and creative thinking.
The Challenge Day is designed to be cross-curricular covering science, technology, engineering and maths.
Each Challenge Day gives six teams of six students, aged 12 to 13 years (England and Wales Year 8, Scotland S1/S2, Northern Ireland Year 9), the opportunity to research, design and make prototype solutions to real-world engineering problems.
Through our charitable section, and funding from external supporters, we’re able to provide IET Faraday® Challenge Days free-of-charge to UK schools.
The 2024 - 2025 season
The 2024 - 2025 IET Faraday® Challenge season will start in September 2024 and run through to June 2025.
Teams should be made up of six students aged 12-13 years old (England and Wales Year 8, Scotland S1/S2, Northern Ireland Year 9). You can apply to take part in one of three ways:
Option A: host one of our Challenge Leader-led IET Faraday® Challenge Days at your school with the option to invite teams from up to five other local schools.
Option B: apply to be an invited school and take one team from your school along to another local event.
Option C: host one of our Challenge Leader-led IET Faraday® Challenge Days at your Organisation/University and invite teams from up to six local schools.
Please note: each school can only take part once per season and IET Faraday® Challenge Days can only take place in UK schools, but different countries around the world are able to use our IET Faraday® DIY Challenge Days resources to run their own events.
How to enter
Applications for the 2024 - 2025 season are now closed.
Events will be booked by region and applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis with allocations being determined by coverage of all UK regions.
Where necessary, we will prioritise applications where hosts are willing to invite other schools, state or disadvantaged schools, and schools that have not taken part in an IET Faraday® Challenge Day before.
If you have any enquiries regarding how to apply, please email faraday@theiet.org to discuss how you can get involve.
Not sure whether you’d like to take part next season?
Check out our IET Faraday® Final highlights video and see the below testimonials from students and teachers who previously took part:
“I think that this was a great experience and it was fun to see how engineers tackle problems.”
13 year old boy
"A great experience and I think more schools should have the opportunity."
12 year old girl
"I really loved my time at the IET Faraday® Challenge Day, I thought it was loads of fun and unlike any other experience."
13 year old girl
"Excellent way to promote STEM and engineering. Kept the students engaged throughout, challenging them to think towards the next level. Bringing out the best in them."
Teacher
"Wonderful opportunity for our children to be inspired by STEM and engineering. The Challenge Leader was a fantastic and professional host. The children were engaged throughout."
Teacher
"Great day. It was wonderful to see the students go from nothing to a prototype in a matter of hours."
Teacher