TeenTech  are very fortunate to have a generous patron in HRH Duke of York KG, who, every year, invites the winners of the TeenTech Awards to share in a special celebration event at Buckingham Palace.
So this week students from schools across the UK , from Greenock to Cornwall poured into the Bow room  to quite literally have tea at Buckingham Palace.
The most creative and innovative ideas were chosen by judges at the finals held at the Royal Society earlier in the summer. The students, were challenged to work in groups of up to three and use technology to solve real-world problems in 19 categories inspired by industries important to the future including infrastructure, environment, transport, healthcare and wearables
The Duke was an enthusiastic and  lively host, seizing the opportunity to catch up on the progress teams had made,saying what the young people had achieved was remarkable and how important it was for them to continue to have ideas.
One team from Newbury shared news of how their E- Water Tap, which monitors the use and working state of each tap remotely, is in final production with the first 200 taps to be installed in The Gambia in Spring 2016. Fresh water supplies are a crucial part of day-to-day life in many parts of the African continent; the E-Water Tap will help engineers ensure continuous supplies are possible by aiding fault-finding. The technology also allows control over access to the water supplies and using real-time data on usage can also inform stakeholders like suppliers and local government about demand at any given time.
A team from London has been invited into boardroom of a leading retailer to discuss making their product real and on the previous evening another set of TeenTech students opened the ARM debate on education to a packed audience at The Science Museum where they shared the benefits of project based learning using their experience of the TeenTech  Awards programme as an example.
 One group of students from Scotland have already had the chance to take their idea to Silicon Valley as they were invited to take their winning TeenTech entry forward into an Appathon and emerged as the UK winners!
Team after team shared their plans and the different ways the Awards have had impact – many are now acting as inspiring mentors for younger students, not only in their own and neighbouring schools but in countries as far away as Columbia.
We can’t thank the sponsors and mentors for the TeenTech Awards enough for their very special support. Together we’ve built an ecosystem which is growing and supporting thousands of young people who themselves have become powerful and persuasive ambassadors for careers in science, technology and engineering. Thank you Airbus, Atkins, Cilip, Cranfield University, EDF, Google, JVC, Maplin, Network Rail, National Grid, OCR and Symantec who make the Awards possible.
A very special mention goes out to all the teachers who have supported students through the TeenTech Award process. Their time, commitment and energy is deeply appreciated.
The full album of images is now available on the TeenTech Awards 2015 TeenTech Flickr pages. Parents and schools are welcome to download images for private use but please email [email protected] for pictures which can be used by press or for other purposes.
If you want to enter the 2015/6 TeenTech Awards register here and we’ll send you full details. Schools don’t need to have started work to register.