SPIRIT OF INNOVATION AWARDS Sixth-formers Kelly Ellis, Kathryn Taylor and Jonathan Swinhoe from King Edward VI School in Morpeth, Northumberland, have won the young innovator category of these awards, for designing and building a machine - now installed and helping a local engineering firm to save money - to analyse the composition of white-metal alloys. They received pound;1,000 and assistance with refining the process further. The awards are organised by north-eastern training and enterprise councils and innovation centres.

NATIONAL BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENT SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME The winners of this World Wide Fund for Nature award, sponsored by Bamp;Q, the do-it-yourself specialists, and the Out of this World fair trading company are: Karla McCloy, St Patrick’s College, Maghera, Co Derry; Matthew Gambles, Sherburn High School, Leeds; and Oliver Bethall, Adams’ Grammar School, Newport, Shropshire. They receive the chance to work at Bamp;Q for a week to produce projects which investigate environmental issues within industry plus pound;100 and pound;250 for Internet provision for their colleges. Details: Craig Johnson, WWF, 01756 700778.

STRAND LIGHTING SCHOOL COMPETITION Paul Alty, 18, of Chesterfield High School, Crosby, Liverpool, won this award for his lighting design for the school production of “A Rock’n‘Roll Midsummer Night’s Dream” last July. He received lighting equipment worth pound;1,000 for the school’s Arts Theatre.

COLLINS DEFINE 1998 The phrase “Millennium Bug” and a tie-breaker sentence wonClass 6S of Pakefield Middle School, Lowestoft, Suffolk, Collins books worth pound;1,000. Collins Dictionaries asked schools to sum up 1998 in a word or phrase with the help of its Words of the Century booklet. The individual winner was Paul Esser, of Southend, Essex, who received pound;1,000. Details: Elizabeth Allen, 0181 307 4541; e-mail: elizabeth.allen@harpercollins.co.uk