St Leonards Defends Scottish Title at UK Space Design Competition

26 September 2026

St Leonards pupils travelled to Glasgow on Saturday 26 September for the Scottish regional of the UK Space Design Competition, joining forces with neighbouring Waid Academy to compete as a combined company.

Their challenge was to respond to a brief from a fictional client by designing a future space settlement. Modelled on the way an aerospace company might approach a real proposal, the competition saw pupils take responsibility for different areas of the design, including engineering, operations, structures, human environments, costs and schedules.

It was then down to the team to bring those ideas together into one proposal and present their plans to a panel of professional judges.

The result was a second consecutive Scottish regional title for St Leonards, with the combined St Leonards and Waid Academy team earning a place at the UK National Finals in March.

Several pupils also took on leading roles within the company. Emil Z was elected President, with George C elected Vice-President of Engineering, while Tristan C received the team’s individual Best Public Speaker award.

Representing St Leonards were Summer X, George C, Hung N, Lennja B, Kanako A, Riya B, Tristan C, Arash M, Emil Z, Fergus F, Maksym S and Fletcher S, accompanied by Mr S and Mrs M.

Next stop, the UK National Finals in March!