Chesterfield school tech pupils need your vote in national competition

Netherthorpe School has made the final stages of the Longitude Explorer Prize People’s Choice Award.

The competition encourages young people to develop tech solutions to the great challenges of our time announces new public vote.

After receiving hundreds of entries from schools and youth groups from across the UK, the finalists were announced in March

Netherthorpe is among the 39 teams of innovative 11-16 year olds in the running to win the people’s choice award top prize of £5,000.

The team from Netherthorpe has worked remotely throughout lockdown with experts and mentors to develop their innovative solution, PROfish to tackle plastic waste in polluted bodies of water.

PROfish is a robotic fish that is put into plastic polluted bodies of water, such as the ocean, and swims around collecting the pieces of plastic.

Amanda Solloway MP, the science minister, said: “I have been impressed by the ingenuity, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit shown by the Longitude finalists.

“Their bright ideas could make a real difference to all our lives, whether that’s robots to clean our oceans or new video technology connecting people who are isolating to tackle loneliness.

“I encourage everyone to vote and I look forward to seeing who is named the winner next month.”

The online vote is open now and runs until July 3.

To vote, go to longitudeexplorer.challenges.org.

The winners will then be in the running for the overall grand prize of £25,000 for their school or youth group.