--- title: "SRS Students earn place in final of National Innovation Challenge 2026" url: "https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/news/2026-06-11-srs-students-earn-place-in-final-of-national-innovation-challenge-2026" school: "The Sydney Russell School" --- # SRS Students earn place in final of National Innovation Challenge 2026 ![Image of SRS Students earn place in final of National Innovation Challenge 2026](https://files.schudio.com/the-sydney-russell-school-2/images/news/post-covers/10.png) 11 June 2026 Three of our students have been chosen as finalists for this year's National Innovation Challenge 2026! *'Led by Harrow, Richmond and Uxbridge Colleges (HRUC) in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Industrial Liaison Program, the NIC received submissions from students across the UK on the theme of Sustainability and AI.* *Participants were tasked with tackling some of the world’s most pressing problems by designing innovations that could contribute to a more sustainable future.* *Four schools and four colleges have been shortlisted for the final. The winners, who will earn a trip to MIT in the United States to collaborate with world-leading researchers, will be announced at an awards evening in central London in late June.* *-* *Ayi, Autumn and Junaina submitted their proposal for an app called **Cleara**, which aims to reduce littering by rewarding users for collecting rubbish in their local area. Using prompts and incentives, **Cleara** turns the clean-up process into a fun and engaging community activity.* ***Cleara** aims to raise awareness of environmental issues at an early age and encourages more mindful behaviour. By bringing together people who are working towards a shared goal, it also gives people the chance to meet others and build connections.'* We are incredibly proud of this amazing achievement, and we wish our students the best of luck in the finals! --- [Read the article from East London News here](https://eastlondontimes.co.uk/local/barking-dagenham/dagenham/dagenham-students-reach-nic-2026-final-with-cleara-app-award/) [Celebrating Success](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/news/tag/celebrating-success) [ The Globe \| 5th June 2026](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/news/2026-06-05-the-globe-5th-june-2026) [SYDTV \| Series 25/26: Episode 4 - OUT NOW! ](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/news/2026-06-12-sydtv-series-25-26-episode-4-out-now) ![The Sydney Russell School](https://files.schudio.com/the-sydney-russell-school-2/images/logo/logo-border-white(3).png) ### The Sydney Russell School Parsloes Avenue Dagenham ESSEX RM9 5QT 020 3959 9900 ### Helpful Links - [Term Dates](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/term-dates) - [Contact Us](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/contact) - [Safeguarding](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/safeguarding) - [SEND](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/send) - [Work With Us](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/recruitment) - [Admissions](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/secondary/admissions-secondary) - [Privacy Policy](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/privacy-policy-for-the-sydney-russell-school) ### Useful Links - [Curriculum](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/curriculum-intent) - [Personal Development](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/personal-development) - [Ofsted](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/ofsted) - [Policies](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/policies) - [Academy Information](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/academy-information) - [Accelerated Reader](https://login.renaissance.com/12d2c9ac-effd-460c-8884-557a8cc9c336?state=1646fda9-c0ca-44e6-830d-61c3967399c5) ### Translation [![Partnership Learning](https://files.schudio.com/the-sydney-russell-school-2/images/logo/PLLogo11(1).png)](https://partnershiplearning.com) ### Social Media - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/SydneyRussellSchoolOfficial) - [X](https://x.com/SydneyR_School) - [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/@SYDTVCHANNEL) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-sydney-russell-school) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/sydneyrussellschool_official/) © The Sydney Russell School School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://www.sydneyrussellschool.com/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)