School team win ICE CityZen JBA Trust Special Prize
Team Solitaire design an urban park space to benefit the local community and biodiversity.
We’ve been inspired by all this year’s entries to the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) CityZen competition, and are delighted to award the JBA Trust Special Prize to a fantastic team from Eltham College.
The ICE CityZen competition is a multi-award-winning initiative for students aged 16 to 18 and blends digital gameplay with real-world problem-solving to spark interest in civil engineering careers.
The JBA Trust Special Prize recognises the most creative and practical approach to supporting nature and communities. Congratulations to May Janes, James Whittaker, Sofia Khimchak and Samayra Strivastava. Their team designed an enhanced urban park space in Southwark, incorporating features to increase biodiversity and community benefit.
You can watch their winning video entry here:
Rob Lamb, Director of JBA Trust and a CityZen Award judge, said: “The diversity of ideas and enthusiasm of all the teams to address challenges like climate change, energy security, water risks and biodiversity was inspiring. I hope everyone who took part is encouraged to pursue their interests and bring their talents to this sector.”
The winners of the Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards competed with over 100 other project pitches and 1,454 participants to take home the top awards. The Gold Award went to a team that proposed using highly industrialised areas to generate solar energy, where large rooftops and vast car parks provide opportunities for solar panel installations, avoiding the use of farmland and safeguarding natural areas.
Winning teams received between £250-£1,000 in prize money, with the same amount awarded to their school for STEM resources.
You can watch all the videos and find out more about the ICE CityZen Awards 2025-26 here.
About the ICE CityZen Award
The competition is a multi-award-winning initiative for students aged 16 to 18 and blends digital gameplay with real-world problem-solving to spark interest in civil engineering careers. It is CREST accredited, giving students and schools the opportunity to gain more recognition for their work.
It’s split into two parts:
- Part one: students take on the ICE CityZen online game, where they face a series of engineering-themed challenges. They must weigh decisions based on sustainability, carbon impact, budget constraints, and community needs, mirroring the complexities real engineers face.
- Part two: using what they’ve learnt from the game, students identify a real issue in their local area and propose a civil engineering solution
Take part
To register for the 2026 competitions or find out more, visit:
