Yorkshire and Humber Regional Girls Competition Celebration Event 2026
Earlier this month, the University of Leeds buzzed with excitement as we hosted the CyberFirst Yorkshire & Humber Regional Girls Competition Celebration Event. The region’s top 10 teams gathered to celebrate their achievements and ignite even greater enthusiasm for cybersecurity and computing among the Year 8 students.
Building on this foundation, the event highlighted the importance of role models. When young people see relatable role models in STEM, research shows, it can change how they view themselves. To embed these concepts in every activity, the programme was designed with input from the University of Leeds.
Throughout the day, students enjoyed support from our inspirational Cyber and STEM Ambassadors and university STEM Fellows. These mentors sparked curiosity, inspired resilience, and shared students' career paths in computing. The Year 8s proudly shared how they learned the value of “sticking with a problem” and celebrated the thrill of solving it.
The university setting made a big impression, with one of the teachers reporting that students were "astonished" by the size and facilities. Many began to see higher education as a real possibility. Throughout the day, hands-on AI and machine learning activities offered students both inspiration and practical experience, led by postgraduate AI and data science researchers. Another highlight of the day was a lecture from another PhD researcher, who discussed new uses of AI in medicine and robotics, including vine robots. This real-world example helped students see how computing can lead to exciting and varied careers.
