A nine-year-old boy from Jarrow has won an award for designing a sign language translator.
Joel Hunt, a Year 4 pupil at St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, part of Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust, entered the competition during the school’s MADD STEM week.
The competition, run by educational not-for-profit organisation Primary Engineer, challenged pupils to answer the question: ‘If you were an engineer, what would you do?’ As part of the process, students interviewed an engineer, identified a real-world problem, and created a design solution. They then produced annotated drawings alongside a letter explaining why their idea should be built.
Thousands of children from across the North East took part, with more than 70,000 entries submitted nationwide. Joel’s work was selected for exhibition at The Hope Street Xchange in Sunderland, where he attended with his parents. He was later invited to an awards ceremony alongside pupils from schools across the region.
Joel, who won his age category for his sign language translator, said: “I was happy that I won the competition and the awards ceremony was fun. We got to see all the winning and highly commended designs.
“I am proud of my design and how it could help people with translating sign language.”
Head of school Jennifer Colley said: “Joel has worked extremely hard to design his sign language translator and what a brilliant idea!
“The competition is a fantastic way for children to use their imagination, and Joel has shown a deep sense of empathy and a commitment to making communication more accessible for others.
“Joel is a true credit to our school community, and we are very proud of what he has achieved.”
©2026. All Rights Reserved.