Last week at Clickimin Centre in Lerwick, more than 650 pupils from all of Shetland’s secondary schools attended the second edition of the reinstated Shetland Science Fair.

The event has increased in scale and duration and was a day longer than the first year to allow more pupils to enjoy the opportunity of hands-on experiments and workshops led by visiting and local exhibitors. Secondary one pupils were invited for the first time meaning the total attendance was more than fifty percent up on 2024’s 400.

This year, pupils engaged with a variety of new exhibitors bringing a wide range of topics and themes. Some of these topics were around biodiversity covering plants, animals, and oceans. There were also classes with knowledgeable specialists about Shetland’s night sky, engineering, ancient technology, climate change, and more. In total there were 29 different activities across 9 sessions.

This year’s exhibitors included:
  • Archaeology Scotland
  • Developing the Young Workforce
  • Dundee Science Centre
  • Dynamic Earth
  • Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
  • Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
  • Science Skills Academy
  • Shetland Islands Council – Climate Change Strategy
  • UHI Shetland

The Science Fair was reintroduced in 2024 as part of the Shetland Aerogenerators Shetland Community Benefit Fund, which is administered by Shetland Community Benefit Fund. Northlink Ferries provided additional support for travel for the national partners. UHI Shetland helped to provide accommodation for the many visitors. A team of buses was scheduled to move pupils from every end of Shetland. The core funding was awarded to Brae School Parent Council to improve STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) opportunities in Shetland.

The team delivering the event is grateful to the exhibitors, sponsors, drivers, schools and pupils for three intense but enjoyable days. The organisers would also like to give thanks to the Anderson High School Secondary 6 pupils who supported the younger Anderson pupils during the Fair this year.

Planning for the 2026 Science Fair will begin soon, and there are already expectations that the event will be bigger again.

Ellis Nicolson, Co-Chair of Brae School Parent Council said :

The 2025 Science Fair provided S1 to S3 pupils with a diverse and enriching STEM experience, exploring subjects ranging from archaeology and biodiversity to aquaculture, energy efficiency, and space science.

It was inspiring to see such a wide range of organisations participating and generously dedicating their time and expertise to support the event. The team at Shetland Aerogenerators delivered an outstanding job in organising the fair and providing funding, alongside contributions from other valued sponsors, to whom we are extremely grateful.

Congratulations to everyone involved for making the 2025 Science Fair a resounding success!

Andi Grochowski, Project Manager at Shetland Aerogenerators Ltd and Science Fair Organiser said:

We appreciate how hard our local schools work to educate and inspire Shetland’s children, so we are delighted to offer a day out where we can add the applied and relatable learning from national leaders who aren’t available every day.

Among our most important principles while planning this remained that the schools shouldn’t feel burdened with the organisation and that no-one would be excluded due to geography.

It seems to have gone well, and it was great to see the islands and mainland schools, both pupils and teachers, get a chance to learn together. It was especially rewarding to see the large number of girls inspired by and engaging with STEM topics.