Luca Giannini, a Year 12 pupil from Sutton Grammar School, secured the Senior Technology runner-up title in The Big Bang Competition 2025, a nationwide contest for young engineers, scientists, and technologists.
The competition, part of The Big Bang Fair, celebrates students aged 11 to 18 who excel in STEM subjects and create projects with real-world impact.
Mr Giannini’s project earned him national recognition and praise from the judging panel.
He was one of eight London-based students to be named runners-up in the competition, alongside four others who took home top awards.
Mark Wood, social sustainability lead at Siemens GB&I, said: “This year the competition was intense but Muhammad stood out with his decentralised communication system, which avoids reliance on cellular or satellite networks and has great opportunities for search and rescue, leisure and other business uses.
“Mohammed demonstrated independent learning and great communication and presentation skills and is a worthy winner of the prize.”
The overall winner, Muhammad Shah, a Year 13 student from Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet, was named UK Young Technologist of the Year 2025 for his project ‘Icarus.’
Inspired by his experiences in Kashmir and a passion for the outdoors, Mr Shah developed a low-cost telecommunications system designed for emergency communications in remote areas.
Mr Shah said: “I’m delighted to have won this award, it means a lot.
“Coming from Kashmir, I really wanted to give something back to my community.
“I remember hearing news about different accidents of people trekking.
“I wanted to find a solution to help find ways to prevent those disasters from happening.”
He received the award during his school’s design showcase on June 26, as he was unable to attend the official ceremony due to A-level exams.
Another award winner, Snehal Das, also from Queen Elizabeth’s School, received the UCL Engineering Inclusive Design for a Fairer World Award for his ‘Addition Toy.’
Developed as part of his GCSE Design and Technology project, the educational toy is designed to help autistic children learn addition through visual and tactile cues using Velcro hands.
Other winners included Om Kuravinakop, a Year 11 student from St Olave’s and St Saviour’s Grammar School in Orpington, who won the Intermediate Engineering category for his hand-held air quality monitor for asthma patients.
The device tracks particulate matter, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and humidity, and syncs with smartphones to help users assess and manage their risk of asthma attacks.
Aina Dyandra, a Year 8 student from Park View School in Haringey, received the Intellectual Property Office Innovation Award for her project ‘Aerate: If Clean Air was a Breath Away.’
Ms Dyandra designed a mask and badge system to reduce and convert harmful particulate matter, inspired by University of Cambridge research into ultrafine metallic particles on the London Underground.
All winners and runners-up were commended by judges for the creativity, technical skill, and societal relevance of their projects.
