A gifted student from the South East has claimed a prestigious award at a major national science and engineering competition. Marcel Fabicki earned the London International Youth Science Forum 2026 prize after constructing a fully operational, full-size pinball machine from discarded materials. The Year 12 pupil at Cobham Free School utilised mostly recycled and salvaged components to create his impressive jungle-themed game.
Marcel also secured a runner-up position for the Senior Engineering award at the event, which showcases talented young innovators. Eight other brilliant young people from the region were also recognised as runners-up in the competition.
The winners were revealed during a special awards ceremony at The Big Bang Fair, held at Birmingham’s NEC. This grand celebration of science, technology, engineering, and maths took place from June 9 to June 11.
Marcel impressed the judges by demonstrating how complex electronic systems can be built from simpler, understandable parts. Richard Myhill from the London International Youth Science Forum commented: “Congratulations to Marcel. The standard of projects was extremely high, and we were very impressed by both the creativity and technical quality of the work presented. Marcel’s project stood out for its strong combination of engineering and software approaches, alongside a clear, logical approach to problem solving. Their enthusiasm, communication skills, and confidence in presenting the work were also particularly impressive. LIYSF is proud to support The Big Bang Competition because it celebrates exactly the kind of curiosity, innovation, and passion for STEM that we aim to encourage through our international science programme.”
Meanwhile, three Year 9 students from Upton Court Grammar School were named runners-up for the Junior Science award. Advik Gupta, Arnav Tayal, and Vedant Venkat explored the scientific reality and ethics behind using modern genetic engineering to revive extinct species.
Sophia Assimakopoulos and Srinika Sabarirajan, both Year 9 students at Invicta Grammar School, also earned a runner-up spot for the Junior Science prize. The pair discovered that naturally occurring enzymes could provide a groundbreaking new solution to tackling global plastic pollution in our oceans.
Two older students from the same school, Emily Moore and Libby Miles, were named runners-up for the Senior Science award. The Year 12 duo demonstrated that red light therapy can support skin recovery as a non-invasive treatment for children with neurodevelopmental conditions.
A clever Year 7 student from Reading School also found success, taking the runner-up spot for the Junior Technology prize. Pranav Anand Senthil Anand used artificial intelligence to create a real-time traffic light system that prevents accidents caused by distracted drivers.
Hilary Leevers from EngineeringUK said: “Massive congratulations to Marcel, Advik, Arnav, Emily, Libby, Marcel, Pranav Anand, Sophia, Srinika, and Vedant. Their curiosity and creativity have driven them to produce some brilliant STEM projects addressing some really big societal problems. They should all be very proud of their dedication and hard work. 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.”
