The winner of the first STEM Challenge was announced at the National Big Bang Fair in Manchester today (Thursday 11th March 2010).

Appleton Academy from Wyke, West Yorkshire submitted the winning design for an eco-friendly National Handball Centre. They win a trip to the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, plus a tour of the London 2012 construction site.

Appleton triumphed against tough competition from the other finalist, Whitecross Hereford High School.

Yvonne Baker, Chief Executive of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths Network (STEMNET), the charity that is running the Challenges on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families, says: "The finalists are really both winners. Each school has illustrated fantastic capabilities in applying STEM subjects to a problem and demonstrating both the creativity enabled by these subjects and their practical relevance to our built environment.

"Further Challenges will enable schools to do the same thing with other areas, from clothing design and manufacturing to understanding what it takes to make a great athlete. We hope the fantastic work these schools have done will encourage more schools and after school STEM clubs to access the resources we have developed for the Challenges and take part. We also hope to uncover some of the budding technologists, engineers and scientists of the future."

The first STEM Challenge required students to consider some of the steps involved in designing and siting a National Handball Centre, using the London 2012 handball arena as a case study and inspiring starting point.

The winning entry was based on the chocolate orange - consisting of a large sphere surrounded by 3 smaller spheres, connected by tunnels. The segmental structure of the design allowed for movable solar panels and open sections to allow natural light and ventilation into the arena. The team also tested out different surfaces for the floor to see which offered the best mixture of strength and flexibility.

Runner-up Whitecross Hereford had an entry that was loosely based around their school as it is a new build. They carefully considered the building process and realised that the heating system, using underground ambient heat, could be installed at the same time as the car park, therefore saving on the transport and development costs. Their building would hold 3 Handball courts and also have conference and gym facilities.

The judges for the STEM Challenges were the Olympic Delivery Authority’s Colin Naish, who is project managing the London 2012 handball arena, and Stuart Fraser, the architect of the London 2012 handball arena.

The judges were extremely impressed by the ability of the pupils to talk to two "strangers in suits from London" and amongst the hubbub of The Big Bang event. The students’ quick thinking and ability to respond to the challenging presentation environment was impressive, according to Stuart Fraser, one of the judges.

Colin Naish added "For us, as judges, it has been a fantastic and enlightening experience".