Apprentice Automation Challenge
The Apprentice Automation Challenge is an annual engineering competition organised by the IMechE and engages with apprentices across all engineering industries.
With the year on year growth that the Challenge has seen, 2026 is set to be become the largest competition in its history, and opportunities are now available for engineers to become volunteer judges alongside the committee and help review, score, and feed back to teams on their submitted work.
We are looking for qualified engineers from industry, academia, or research to help mark the team's product reports around late summertime and to join us at the finals event held at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry - currently expected to take place on 24 September 2026.
Judges will be partnered with experienced committee members and provided with clear guidance on how to evaluate teams' submissions and presentations, and the IMechE will also supply lunch, refreshments, and networking drinks for the volunteers joining the finals event in September.
The process to apply to become a judge is simple:
- Complete the application form
- Deadline for entries 1 May 2026
Please pass on to any contacts or colleagues who would enjoy getting involved.
About the challenge:
The Apprentice Automation Challenge provides a brilliant opportunity for talented apprentices to compete in an innovative design and manufacturing challenge to automate an everyday device.
Organised by the Institution's Manufacturing Industries Division’s Young Members Committee, it engages with teams of apprentice engineers to design, develop and build a fully working system that solves a real-world problem.
Teams submit a report covering the design specification, manufacturing instructions, user manual and a business case for the mass production and sale of the product.