INNOVATION was the name of the game, as schoolchildren from across Yorkshire battled it out in a special inventors' competition.

Pupils from throughout the region embarked on a range of ambitious projects for the annual Engineering Inspiration Education Showcase event.

The contest, held at the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington, on Tuesday, attracted a record 115 entrants, with York pupils scooping some of the top awards.

Archbishop Holgate's CE School in Hull Road was the pick of the winners, with six GCSE pupils taking home prizes in the 15-16 year age group.

Gavin Lawrence, 16, won the investigative project for an ergonomic digital camera; Jack Smith, 16, won the product innovation award for his modern flat-packed computer workstation; and James Edmondson, 16, won the engineering solutions award for an easily-storable lifting device.

Three other pupils, Andrew Warner, Jason Hollis and David Stevenson, all 15, came first in the sustainability category, for their recycling project.

Jonathan Britton, head of technology at the school, today spoke of his pride at seeing so many pupils do so well.

He said: "Students have been working more than two years studying for their GCSE in engineering or design, and the event provided them with an opportunity to showcase the work and talk to people from leading companies across the UK. It was a fantastic opportunity for students to display their work and receive recognition for the time and effort they have put in.

"We are exceptionally proud of the results, with four awards out of the eight that were available. I thought the work that the students produced was outstanding, and the way they talked to the judges and discussed their ideas was particularly impressive."

York students also came out in top in the 16-plus age band. Lucy Walker, of The Mount School, won the Yortex Award for designing a wood play area and seating, in the shape of a crocodile, for the Snappy charity. James Hall, of York College, won the over-16s award for best graphic product, for his model of an affordable housing scheme.

In the 11-14 year group, six Fulford School pupils, Chris Peace, Graeme Warnes, Tyler Robinson, Lloyd Woolacot, Aimee Nichols and Jane Wallace, won the engineering solutions category for their candle-holder project, which had a unit price of less than 50p.

A cheque for £300, and the Sir George Cayley Cup for the best overall project, were awarded to Rose-Marie Almond of Harrogate Granby High School, who designed an external remote control for an electric wheelchair.

Updated: 10:54 Thursday, July 07, 2005