Harrogate Ladies’ College Celebrate National Innovation Award Recognition
Three teams of innovators have made history for Harrogate Ladies’ College (Duchy College from September 2026), after successfully earning a place at the TeenTech Awards Finals in London.
Following one team’s success in 2025, all three teams that entered the in 2026 were named finalists, with Harrogate Ladies’ College the only Yorkshire school to make the TeenTech Finals.
The projects, which focus on ethical innovation and research, highlighted contemporary issues and provide creative and sustainable solutions to issues facing modern society.
The three projects entered to the TeenTech Awards are:
PetMedD (ethical innovation): a smart bandage for pets focused on chronic wound healing for dogs which produces hydrogel and can be managed by pet owners through an app, which tracks recovery progress.
Project by Sophia Lo, Smilla Meister and India Thomas
PurePasture (ethical innovation): panels made from zeolite which attached to fences surrounding cattle fields, capturing and recovering methane which is regenerated and reused to power factories.
Project by Ruby McHale and Harriet Nolan
The Poverty Trap (research): improving living conditions in Sub-Saharan African countries by helping individual escape ‘The Poverty Trap’ a phenomenon which people currently living in poverty struggle to escape poverty due to inadequate resources or financial insecurity.
Project by Reewa Bennett, Eunice Leung and Ryanna Sin
“The dedication, commitment and creativity shown by each team is simply outstanding,” Principal Mrs Joanna Fox, said.
“We are exceptionally proud of all three teams and these results are testament to the school’s long tradition of championing careers in STEM for our pupils,” she said.
In 2026, 52% of the school’s university applications were in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) courses, which is double the national average of female applications in 2025.
The three teams will attend the TeenTech Finals at the Institution of Engineering and Technology in London after receiving outstanding feedback from TeenTech judges.
“This is a thoughtful, rigorous and compassionate piece of research with clear real-world relevance and exceptional potential,” the judges said.
“I can’t wait to see this idea on Dragons Den!”
Harrogate Ladies’ College was established in 1893 under the name of Harrogate College. Originally a boys’ school, it later became a girls’ senior school, pioneering girls education in the early 20th century. It opened a co-ed pre-school in 1997 followed by a co-ed prep school 25 years ago, both of which now go under the name of Highfield. The school has a long history of academic success, including being named in the Sunday Times Top 10 Schools in the North for Academic Excellence 2024.
