Full STEAM ahead!
S&DR200 are joining with Little Inventors to bring you Next Stop: The Future! invention challenge to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the first journey on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR).
The S&DR200 Festival will present a series of free large-scale outdoor spectacles, events, exhibitions and new art commissions in the public spaces, libraries and world-class museums of County Durham and Tees Valley from March to November 2025.
The competition is open to Year 5, 6, 7 and 8 students in areas governed by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council, Darlington Borough Council and Durham County Council.
Five of the ideas will be selected to be brought to life as professional designs, models, prototypes or other form of media by one of our expert makers!
Young people from all other year groups and/or in other parts of the world are welcome to use the resources and submit their ideas for publishing on our website, but will not be eligible for the competition which leads to ideas being brought to life.
To find out more about the S&DR200 festival, head to https://www.sdr200.co.uk/.
Inventors of the past have come up with some hilarious and down right bonkers ideas for things that use tracks, from zoo’s to hand-powered bikes and everything in between! You are the inventors of the future and you went full steam ahead with your imagination and came up with something totally off the rails!
Hop aboard the CHALLENGE!Most recent ideas
News & Press
International Young Inventors from Canada Celebrated After Winning S&DR200 Challenge
We are absolutely delighted to share that one of the winning inventions from our S&DR200: Next Stop the Future! challenge has been celebrated on the other side of the Atlantic - with a special civic recognition in Markham, Canada.
Turning Young Inventors’ Train Designs into Reality with Creative Collaboration
At Little Inventors, we believe every child’s idea has the potential to inspire something amazing - and our collaboration with The Northern School of Art and Orbital FX for the Next Stop: The Future! challenge brought that belief to life spectacularly.
Stockton and Darlington Railway challenge is on track!
The Stockton and Darlington Railway acted as a pioneer of modern rail travel back in 1825. We are thrilled to honour its legacy with a Little Inventors celebratory challenge.
