FIRST LEGO League Regional Final hosted at UHI Moray invites pupiles from Speyside High School, Keith Grammar School, Buckie High School, Lossiemouth High School, and Elgin High School to compete
Students and industry professionals came together for the annual FIRST LEGO League Regional Final.
Held at the Alexander Graham Bell Centre at UHI Moray in Elgin, the event promotes innovation, teamwork, and problem-solving in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) subjects.
This year’s theme “Submerged” encouraged participants to explore solutions related to underwater environments, sustainability and engineering.
Teams from Speyside High School, Keith Grammar School, Buckie High School, Lossiemouth High School and Elgin High School were involved, and the youngsters competed in a variety of challenges, including Robot Missions, Innovation Projects and Core Values.
The event was supported by local businesses and organisations, which provided volunteers to serve as referees and judges for the projects. Organised by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Moray, with support from SSERC, the competition has grown significantly over the years, highlighting the increasing interest in STEM education across the region.
This growth was also fuelled by the generous sponsorship of Ocean Winds, an offshore wind power company, which continues to support the event as part of its strategy to promote skills development and STEM education.
Roger McMichael, stakeholder manager for Ocean Winds, said: “Sponsoring this regional final of FIRST LEGO League in our heartland of the north-east of Scotland is ideally aligned with our skills development strategy to enthuse students about STEM subjects and promote the varied, exciting careers in the offshore wind sector.
“FIRST LEGO League is a superbly run programme, and we look forward to being associated with this event in the future.”
The 2025 competition theme resonated strongly with Moray’s local industries, offering participants an opportunity to explore real-world challenges linked to the region’s economy.
As part of their Innovation Projects, students investigated various employment opportunities and cutting-edge solutions related to the theme.
Craig Murphy, operations manager for Ocean Winds in Buckie, said: “Being new to FIRST LEGO League, I was bowled over by the enthusiasm of the students who were working well in teams, all striving to be winners.
“It was a pleasure to be able to address everyone for the prize-giving and hand out the medals and winners’ cups. “FIRST LEGO League is a great example of STEM in action, helping to drive an appetite to study STEM subjects. We look forward to being back next year.”
Each team received recognition for their achievements, with special awards highlighting creativity, technical skills, and teamwork.
Keith Grammar School, with their team “Brotherhood of the Brick,” was named the overall champions and innovation project winner and will represent Moray at the UK and Ireland National Finals in Harrogate in May.
Lossiemouth High School received the Robot Design Award, while Elgin High School earned the Knockout Winners and Rising All-Star Award.
Buckie High School was honored with the Core Values Runner-up and Motivate Award, and Speyside High School won the Breakthrough Award, Core Values Winner, and Innovation Project Runner-up.
A spokesperson from DYW Moray said: “The continued support and sponsorship from Ocean Winds have been crucial in enabling this progression, empowering young people to develop vital skills that will benefit them both now and in the future.”
