Technology Tournament

Rotary in Cumbria & Lancashire (District 1190) has supported the Rotary GB&I Technology Tournament for many years. The competition will be held on one of 3 Fridays; 6 March, 13 March or 20 March 2026 as booked locally by each area organiser.

The Rotary Technology Tournament is aimed at young people aged 11-18 with three age levels for team members; Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced.  The degree of complexity is increased at each age level.

In September each year Rotary in Yorkshire (District 1040) sends out the proposed project for the forthcoming Rotary year.  This project is then assessed by our District Technology Tournament Team.  Between September and November, the documentation is reviewed and materials required for each team to complete the project are determined.  Prototypes are designed for viewing at the Area Organisers meeting in early February. 

There will be seven centres in 2026, each with an area organiser that book the venues and liaise with schools in order to determine how many teams at each level will be taking part with a 10% margin.  The Lancashire centres are in Accrington, Lytham St Annes and Preston. The Cumbria centres are in Barrow, Carlisle, Kendal and Workington.  

Approximately 300 teams of 4 students with some teacher teams take part in the competition each year.  The basic project is the same for each age group, but requirements within the project are added to increase the level of technical difficulty.  Past projects have included building of a bridge, a pipeline mole, a space capsule and a container retrieval device.

The competition has been supported by grants from our main sponsors BAe Systems, underwritten by the Rotary District in Cumbria & Lancashire.  The competition fits in with the teaching of STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and is generally considered to be a very popular day out from school by the students.