A West Lothian student has claimed a top award at a prestigious nationwide competition for young engineers, scientists, and technologists. Kanav Jain, a student from Broxburn, has been crowned UK Young Engineer of the Year, supported by Thales, for his project ‘AeroAid: autonomous VTOL quadplane’ at the Big Bang competition.
Inspired by Rural Challenges
Kanav was inspired to help people in rural and remote regions where the delivery of essential emergency supplies is challenging due to lack of reliable road access. Using his passion for drones, he has designed and developed a small, low-cost autonomous aircraft that can carry and deliver medicines and other essential supplies quickly and efficiently.
Humanitarian Impact
Kanav hopes his low-cost, accessible invention will help provide critical humanitarian support and save millions of lives. Upon winning, he said: “It’s so surreal! The moment they say your name you completely zone out because of how much effort you put into it, and to see all of that come to life is really great!”
Industry Recognition
James Mackay, Head of STEM, UK at Thales, commented: “Congratulations to The Big Bang UK Young Engineer of the Year. We were delighted to see the creativity and impressive STEM skills from all the finalists. Kanav’s project really impressed the judges, along with his tenacity, dedication, and drive. Supporting these future engineers is truly exciting for us at Thales. The Competition is a great reminder that the next big breakthrough could come from anyone. We need many more young people to pursue STEM careers. It’s been great to see so many students thinking about how they can innovate and create real-world solutions with engineering.”
The Big Bang Fair
The winners of the competition, which recognises and rewards talented young innovators, were announced at an awards ceremony at The Big Bang Fair. The Fair is the UK’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) for young people, held at Birmingham’s NEC from June 9 to 11. Run by EngineeringUK, the Fair is supported by organisations across the engineering and STEM sector, including major supporter Rolls-Royce, easyJet, EDF Energy, Royal Aeronautical Society, The Wildlife Trust, University of Cambridge, and V&A museum. All the winners impressed the competition judges, who commended them on their innovative projects.
CEO's Remarks
Dr Hilary Leevers, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK, which runs the competition, said: “Competitions like The Big Bang Competition help young people connect their passions with making a real-world difference. It shows young people a future in engineering and technology is possible for them.”
To find out more and discover all the winners and runners-up of The Big Bang Competition 2026, visit www.thebigbang.org.uk/competition-winners.
