2026 Winner
REBECCA YOUNG
Big-hearted schoolgirl Rebecca landed on the cover of Time Magazine after inventing a solar-powered heated blanket to help the homeless
When she was just 11, moved by the sight of rough sleepers in Glasgow in sub-zero temperatures, Rebecca designed a portable, eco-friendly solution at her school engineering club.
The waterproof and flame-retardant heated blanket, integrated into a portable backpack, has flexible solar panels which charge a battery pack during the day, giving up to eight hours of heat. It includes a temperature-sensitive control circuit that automatically switches the heat on and off to conserve battery life.
Rebecca’s idea came out on top in the UK Primary Engineer competition, where more than 70,000 pupils entered ideas aimed at addressing a social issue.
Engineering company Thales turned Rebecca’s idea into a working prototype, with 35 units given to Homeless Project Scotland to use in Glasgow, with 120 more in the pipeline.
Last August, Rebecca, now 14, was named one of TIME Magazine’s inaugural 10 “Girls of the Year,” appearing on a digital cover styled as a LEGO mini-figure. She has also been honoured at Westminster.
Rebecca, who wants to be a drummer with her band, Insubordinate, when she’s older, explained: “Seeing all the homeless people, it made me want to help – it’s a problem that should be fixed.
“During the day, the heat from the sun can energise the solar panels and they go into a battery pack that can store the heat. When it’s cold at night people can use the energy stored in the battery pack to sleep on.
“In Glasgow it can be freezing at night and they will have no power, so I thought the solar panel could heat it.”