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Latest news on the Young Coders Competition
Latest news on the Young Coders Competition
The wait is over — the Young Coders Competition 2026 is here!
This year, we’re challenging young people to unleash their creativity and coding skills around the theme: Neighbourhood Navigators. From reimagining the streets where you live, to solving everyday problems in your community, or even inventing futuristic ways to explore your town, we can’t wait to see how children bring this year’s theme to life in Scratch.
Who can enter?
The competition is open to children aged 8–13 (Years 4–8 in England, P5–S1 in Scotland, Years 5–8 in Northern Ireland). Children can enter individually or in teams of 2–6. No experience? No problem! We’ve created:
Both options come with resources you can use at school, in an after-school club, or at home with a parent or guardian.
What’s included in the pack?
We’ve made getting started simple. The pack includes:
Everything you need is ready to download and share.
The prizes
Every child who enters receives a certificate of participation and personalised feedback from our judges. Winning teams also receive:
Our sponsor
We’re delighted to welcome back nimbl as our major sponsor for 2026. Nimbl is a pocket-money app and prepaid card designed to help children learn money skills in a safe, practical way. It gives young people the chance to practise budgeting, saving, and making spending choices with the support of their parents. Their mission to build financial confidence in children perfectly complements our aim of building digital skills for the future.
Key dates
How to sign up
Ready to join the Young Coders Crew? Sign up via our website, download your competition pack, and start planning your project today. Whether you’re an educator launching this in your classroom, or a parent supporting your child at home, this is your chance to inspire the next generation of coders.
The Young Coders Competition is an exciting way to inspire children to code, and we want as many young people as possible to get involved. If you’re an educator, parent, or guardian, here are some easy, ready-to-use ways to promote the competition in your school or community.
Check out the launch pack here for all the assets you can use, with the ideas below
1. Display posters
We’ve provided editable A4 posters (PowerPoint or PDF) in your competition pack. Print them, add your details, and display them in classrooms, hallways, libraries, and on noticeboards. Posters are a quick way to spark curiosity and let students know how to get involved.
2. Share in newsletters
Add a short announcement to your school newsletter. Here’s some copy you can drop straight in:
“The Young Coders Competition 2026 is now open! Children in Years 4–8 are invited to create a Scratch game around this year’s theme, Neighbourhood Navigators. Whether a beginner or a budding coder, every participant will receive a certificate, and schools can win prizes up to £200. Visit [website link] to learn more and sign up.”
We’ve included a square promotional tile you can include
3. Post on social media
If your school has a Facebook page, share a post about the competition and don’t forget to tag @youngcoderscompetition. Social media is a powerful way to spread the word to parents, carers, and the wider community.
4. Send posters home
As well as displaying them in school, you can print off the posters and send them home with children. Parents and guardians often need a nudge to support sign-ups, and a colourful poster in a book bag does the trick.
5. Use assemblies
Launch the competition with our assembly slides and script included in your pack. Assemblies build excitement, explain the theme, and encourage children to sign up individually or in teams.
6. Try something creative
Why it matters
Promoting the Young Coders Competition isn’t just about filling in entry forms. It’s about opening doors for children to discover problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork through coding. With the ready-made resources in your pack, all you need to do is spread the word.
Together, we can inspire the next generation of digital creators — and maybe even uncover future game designers, app developers, or tech leaders.
Imagine a world where every child has the confidence to create technology, solve real problems, and think with clarity and creativity. That’s exactly what the Young Coders Competition is all about — and with your support, we can do even more.
Each year, children aged 8–13 are supported to use Scratch to design games and projects that stretch their imagination and grow technical skills. Along the way, they learn teamwork, resilience, and logical thinking - skills that will benefit them for life. Every entrant receives personalised feedback and a certificate of achievement, helping them feel proud of what they’ve built, whatever their ability.
But the programme couldn’t happen without hundreds of volunteers who dedicate their time to preparing resources, mentoring participants, and running the competition. To keep it running and growing, we need your support.
Your donation helps us to:
✨ Keep learning resources free for schools and communities
✨ Cover essential costs like the email platform that keeps participants informed
✨ Fund prizes that reward creativity and effort
✨ Design assets that make the programme engaging and accessible
Coding isn’t just for the tech elite — it’s a skill for every child. Support the next generation of innovators today.
Donations are held by one of our resource sponsors, LEBC
— thank you for helping make this possible.
After weeks of careful review by STEM Ambassadors—and with students also having their say—we’re delighted to announce the winners of the 2026 Young Coders Competition.
This year’s entries were full of creativity, determination and brilliant ideas around the theme ‘Neighbourhood Navigators’. From code to concept, you impressed us.
Our UK 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will each receive shields, certificates and prize money, generously donated by nimbl. And we’re thrilled to recognise an outstanding international winner too!
Participation certificates and personalised feedback for each entry will be on their way soon. You can also reach out if you’d like a downloadable template and would like to tailor it to recognise any students who joined but did not officially enter.
Scroll down to meet the winning games…
Congratulations again to all our brilliant coders – we hope you’ll keep creating, keep coding, and maybe even come back next year with something even bigger.
KS3 Winner - Waldegrave School
Emilia created “The Terrific Twickenham Tour!” – an engaging, interactive game exploring her community with original artwork and smooth code. Judges loved the beautiful visuals, fun mini-games, and how perfectly it nailed the "Neighbourhood Navigators" theme. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1316820585/
KS2 Winner – Durham Chorister School
Aidan O'B created “Durham Discoverers!” – a clever, factual adventure where players guide an alien around Durham. Judges loved the custom character options, the immersive mini-games for each landmark, and the fantastic audio and tutorial guide. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1317309628
International Winner – Salamruby (Iran)
Radmehr and Iliya created “Future guiding spark” – a highly polished, interactive game featuring a cute robot, immersive mini-games, and custom voice acting. Judges loved the beautiful artwork, clever puzzle-solving, and the creative personalized Citizen Certificate awarded at the end. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1316254075
KS3, 2nd place – Chelmsford County High School for Girls
Anvesha created “London Neighbourhood Navigators” – a highly polished, educational tour of London featuring an original map, quizzes, and custom audio controls. Judges praised the professional design, smooth mechanics, and clever rewarding of a virtual Oyster card. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1315151589
KS2, 2nd place – Carnegie Primary School
Sasha created “The Dunfermline Navigation Experience” – a creative tour led by a custom character named Mx Orbit. Judges loved the excellent voice narration, clever loading screens, and the fun variety of interactive mini-games and end-of-game report cards. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1266467436
International, 2nd Place – Salamruby (Iran)
Atrin created “Whisper of Marie” – an attractive, story-driven adventure about two friends exploring their community. Judges loved the imaginative custom sprites, the seamless maze and letter-matching mini-games, and how beautifully it captured local culture and landmarks. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1316260485
KS3, 3rd Place - Robert Gordon's College
Aanya and Isla created “Our journey around Aberdeen” – an engaging, six-location tour guided by a helpful penguin. Judges loved the custom voiceover, the seamless map navigation, and the creative balance of real local facts with shell-collecting mini-games. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1293669731
KS2, 3rd Place – MiniSteps Coding Club
Theo, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Johnson, and Hanson created “MiniSteps Byte Buddy” – a unique virtual tour of Oxford featuring a creative boat ride. Judges loved the beautiful graphics with scaling objects, smooth use of clones, and the detailed information cards. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1271585193
International, 3rd Place – Salamruby (Iran)
Samyar and Rayan created “little programmers” – a vibrant, 7-stage journey exploring Iran’s rich culture and history. Judges loved the interactive menus, polished graphics, and how the multi-stage mini-games made learning about their community feel incredibly rewarding and fun. To play the game please visit: https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1317564799