Scots primary kids asked ‘what health problems would you solve - and how?’

Nationwide digital health challenge #DigiInventors teams up with the Organised Educator

Primary school pupils across Scotland are being asked to identify the health and wellbeing challenges that matter most to them and design digital solutions to fix them, as the #DigiInventors Challenge launches for 2026.

The nationwide competition, organised by the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre (DHI), celebrates its 10th year in 2026, with the primary challenge open to pupils in P5-P7 working in teams. This year, organisers have teamed up with popular social media teacher influencer Organised Educator, aka David Grant, to help inspire more schools across Scotland to take part.

The challenge is designed to develop entrepreneurial thinking, design innovation, digital literacy and STEM skills while giving pupils an insight into potential careers in digital health and social care. All participants receive a #DigiInventors Challenge certificate, with winners taking home tech prizes and the coveted #DigiInventors trophy for their school.

Last year's primary winners included Multi-ColourZ from Newton Farm Primary in South Lanarkshire, who designed an app to support young people with colour blindness, and JH Grow and Glow from Wellington School in South Ayrshire, whose wellbeing app proposed to help children aged 5-12 develop healthy habits.

Professor George Crooks OBE is CEO at the Digital Health & Care Innovation Centre. He said:

“Young people bring fresh perspectives to health and care challenges because they experience services and systems directly, without the assumptions adults often carry. They can spot what feels unfair or what doesn't work in ways that are incredibly valuable for informing better solutions.

“The #DigiInventors Challenge has spent a decade creating space for exactly this kind of insightful thinking - inspiring Scotland's young people to think creatively about how technology can improve health and wellbeing. We've seen incredible ideas from primary pupils over the years - ideas that are thoughtful, innovative and rooted in real understanding of the challenges people face.

“This year marks an important milestone as we celebrate 10 years of the challenge, and we're delighted to have Organised Educator joining us. David’s passion for engaging young learners and making education accessible and fun aligns perfectly with our mission to inspire the next generation of digital health and care innovators. We're hoping his involvement will help us reach even more schools across Scotland and give more young people the chance to develop these crucial skills.”

David Grant, Organised Educator, said:

“I am absolutely thrilled to be involved in the #DigiInventors Challenge this year. It has been amazing to read about all of the past successes and amazing young people that have been involved. STEM and entrepreneurship are huge passions of mine and it’s a great privilege to be promoting these amongst our young people in Scotland.”

South Lanarkshire Council, whose schools have previously won both the primary and secondary #DigiInventors competitions, is encouraging more schools, teachers and pupils across the authority to get involved in this year's challenge.

Jacqueline Wallace, Head of Education (Primary and Early Years), at South Lanarkshire Council, said:

“South Lanarkshire Council is delighted that one of our secondary schools won the Secondary #DigiInventors Challenge 2025. The challenge provides an excellent opportunity for young people to develop key skills while applying their learning to real-life contexts. We look forward to encouraging our primary schools to take part in the Primary #DigiInventors Challenge 2026 and to seeing learners continue to innovate, collaborate and problem-solve through this engaging challenge.”

The 2026 #DigiInventors Challenge is supported by 17 strategic partners from across the education sector including Education Scotland, SSERC, Skills Development Scotland, RAiSE, City of Glasgow College, and the University of Strathclyde.

Schools wishing to participate can access free teaching resources, templates and guides through the #DigiInventors website. The challenge runs from 5 January 2026, with applications closing on 27 February 2026. Winners will be announced on 23 March 2026, with an awards ceremony taking place at City of Glasgow College on 28 April 2026.

To get involved visit: www.dhi-scotland.com/digiinventors-primary-challenge