Young Coders, supported by nimbl – the award-winning pocket money app and prepaid card for young people – is proud to announce the 2025 Young Coders Competition winners. This year’s theme, “Budgeting Better,” invited children aged 8 to 13 to design fun, educational games that help players understand money and make smarter financial choices.

Alana Parsons, CEO of nimbl, said:

“At nimbl, we believe that teaching financial literacy from an early age is just as essential as introducing coding and digital skills. We’re proud to support initiatives like Young Coders that combine creativity, practical life skills and future-ready thinking, and we’re committed to backing even more opportunities like this in the future.”

Each winning school will receive £200, and the students involved have earned the CREST Discovery Award, a nationally recognised STEM credential. The programme is supported by a diverse group of committee members, ambassadors, judges and delivery partners, all working together to empower the next generation of coders and creators.

Alice, a student at Croydon High School and the Overall Winner of the competition, said:

“I feel happy and proud, and also feel quite surprised, because I didn’t expect to be the Overall Winner! I enjoyed the competition because it was a fun way to help me learn new ways to code, and I like telling stories through games and interesting characters too. I started coding when I was in Year 2, and I have also been coding with Mrs Krishnamurthy in her classes. I also like looking for online coding tutorials for some of my favourite games.”

Leila, Emily and Lois, three school friends in Richmond and winners of the primary school category, also commented:

“We were so excited when we found out we had won! We loved that the competition had a theme, and we spent a lot of time making our game better and better. We first got into coding through a computer club at our school.”

More girls in STEM

One of the standout results of this year’s competition is the increase in gender diversity. In 2024, 37% of participants were girls, and in 2025, that rose to 46% – a meaningful step towards greater balance in computing and tech.

Evie Lea, STEM Ambassador Coordinator for the East Midlands, who recalls being one of just two girls in her A-level coding class, said:

“It’s inspiring to see more young girls stepping confidently into STEM spaces. Representation matters, and when students meet ambassadors who look like them or share their interests, it makes futures in science, tech, and engineering feel genuinely achievable. We’ve come a long way since my school days, and it’s great to see competitions like this helping to close the gap.”

AI in the Classroom

Another theme in this year’s competition was artificial intelligence (AI), which is rapidly gaining attention across the education sector, with UK schools only recently receiving formal guidance on how to approach it in the classroom. While still new to many teachers and pupils, AI is emerging as a natural extension of computing and digital literacy.

Young Coders helps guide teachers through this evolving landscape with free classroom resources and curriculum-aligned support, giving them the confidence to explore these technologies with their pupils.

“There are lots of jobs in the future that we haven’t even imagined yet,” said Evie. “This competition gives young people a foothold in the industry, and helps give teachers the resources and confidence to teach alongside AI rather than against it.”

After another successful year, Young Coders 2026 is well underway! Next year’s event will expand its reach, with new challenges planned and continued support for teachers through free resources and workshops.

Schools interested in registering for the 2026 challenge can sign up for updates at www.codingcompetition.org