Ignite a passion for STEM at The Big Bang Fair – registration now open
Release Date: 22 Feb 2023
The much-loved Big Bang Fair is returning for another year and, from today, schools can register for free tickets to attend.
Teachers can once again excite their students about the wonders of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and spark inspiration for what a career as an engineer or scientist could be like.
Taking place from Wednesday 21 to Friday 23 June 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham, The Fair is the largest celebration of STEM in the UK. Young people will have the opportunity to meet real engineers and scientists and get involved in hands-on activities, exciting live shows and inspiring career panels. Students will also be able to earn stickers as they go, with Big Bang Explore, and will have the chance to enter a prize draw to win exciting rewards.
New for 2023, there will be half-day sessions on offer, with schools able to register for morning (9am to 12pm) or afternoon (1pm to 4pm) sessions. The Fair will be open to groups from state-funded schools for young people in year 6 to year 8 (England and Wales), P7 to S2 (Scotland) and year 7 to year 9 (Northern Ireland).
In a bid to ensure equal opportunities for young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, schools meeting EngineeringUK equality, diversity and inclusion criteria will be invited to apply for a bursary when they book tickets, to support them with attending The Fair.
Phillip McShane, Associate Director – Big Bang Programme at EngineeringUK, commented: “The Big Bang Fair is an excellent opportunity for teachers to ignite a passion for STEM in their students and showcase to them what a career could look like in the sector. The new half-day sessions will give schools the chance to make the most of their time with the STEM inspiration activities. We want all young people to think big and discover their potential, and to inspire young people from groups underrepresented in engineering – so I’d encourage schools to sign up to The Fair and end the school year with a big bang!”
A student, who attended last year’s Fair, said: “The Big Bang Fair is an absolutely amazing experience. There are different business opportunities, education opportunities – I got that in abundance but I got a whole load of other things as well: first-hand experience doing coding, driving a drone, CPR. All these things play a vital part in our life.”
Anne Beglin, teacher at St Crispin’s School who also attended The Big Bang Fair last year, said: “Our students really enjoy events like this and it really does inspire them, particularly when they see young people doing engineering.”
Also taking place at The Fair, will be the awards ceremony for the popular Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition. Winners will be announced, including the crowning of the prestigious UK Young Engineer and UK Young Scientist of the Year.
The Competition, which is free to enter, is open to young people in the UK aged 11 to 18 in state funded education, who are home educated or who enter as part of a community group. There’s still time to get students involved – with The Competition open for entries until 30 March.
With tickets for The Big Bang Fair always booking up quickly – teachers are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Register for free tickets to The Fair at: www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair
Families, community groups and home educators are also invited to explore The Fair after hours with The Big Bang Fair Unlocked - running from 4:30pm to 7:30pm on Wednesday 21 June.
Find out more about The Big Bang Competition at: www.thebigbang.org.uk/competition
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Notes to Editors
Media contact: Georgie Brown ([email protected] / 07763 875174)
About The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair
The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for young people in the UK. Taking place from 21 to 23 June 2023 at The NEC in Birmingham. The Big Bang Fair is an award-winning combination of inspirational talks, interactive workshops, hands-on exhibits and careers information from STEM professionals. The Big Bang Fair is made possible through the collaborative efforts of over 75 organisations.
The Big Bang Fair Unlocked is a chance for families, home educators and school groups to visit us from Wednesday 21 June from 4:30pm to 7:30pm. Register for free here: www.thebigbang.org.uk/fair
The Big Bang UK Young Scientists & Engineers Competition aims to recognise and reward young people's achievements in all areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) and provide them with the opportunity to build their skills and confidence in project-based work. It is open to 11- to 19-year-olds from across the UK who have completed a project or activity in any field of science, technology, engineering or maths. The winners of The Competition will be announced at The Big Bang Fair on Thursday 22 June 2023. www.thebigbang.org.uk/competition
EngineeringUK is a not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with the engineering community to inspire tomorrow’s engineers. We lead the engagement programmes: The Big Bang, Robotics Challenge and Energy Quest and help schools bring STEM to life through real-world engineering via Neon. We bring engineering careers inspiration and resources together through Tomorrow’s Engineers and manage The Code, which drives change at scale to increase the number and diversity of young people choosing academic and vocational pathways into engineering. We base everything we do on evidence and share our insight widely. www.engineeringuk.com