Five pupils from Buckie High School made it their business to succeed when they gave a winning presentation to judges in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Youth Challenge on Friday.

Calling themselves Buckie Challengers, the youngsters took their idea - a diabetes home testing kit - right through the selection stages to overall victory, each winning a laptop computer.

The Highlands and Islands Enterprise award for Design and Innovation went to Team Azian from Tain High School. They devised a security keypad for ATMs and have won a trip to Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.

The BT award for Use of Communications went to FHS Girls from Farr High School who devised a motion sensor lobster creel and won a trip to BT's world-renowned research and development centre at Adastral Park in Suffolk.

Robin Mannings, Research Foresight Manager for BT said: "BT has been involved in the Youth Challenge since its inception and it's fair to say that this year's was one of the best. FHS Girls will have a great day out at our research labs where our futurologists and innovation gurus can introduce them to the technologies of tomorrow."

From Charleston Academy the team of two called 2 Boys and a Ginger will be travelling to Microsoft's development headquarters in Seattle thanks to their focus on an idea connected to a wristband. John Edwards from Microsoft, another of the main sponsors, told the youngsters, "It has been a pleasure to see your enthusiasm and commitment. I congratulate you all."

Five teams of secondary school pupils spent last week at a residential camp working in the cutting edge world of product development. "This year the standard of all projects was exceptional, and all worthy of commercial potential" according to the ICT Youth Challenge Operations Director Rob Murray.

At the awards ceremony on Friday (June 29) the prizes were handed out by Douglas Vinton, chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (Scotland) who paid tribute to the annual competition, now in its fifth year: "Team members gain so much from this activity. It really helps them mixing with high-powered business people and to work so closely as a team. The experience they gain in research and development, presentation skills and increased confidence is invaluable."

ICT Youth Challenge project manager Ali Murray told the pupils, "This competition provides a unique opportunity - through the generosity of sponsors BT, Microsoft and HIE - to work together with industry experts on ideas for products or services using information or communication technology in new ways."

Valerie Innes was the UHI judge at the event. She said: "Judging this competition has been quite an experience.  I have been really impressed with the range of ideas and standard of work that the competitors have produced and it has been interesting to see how the ideas have evolved at each stage."

The Youth Challenge final followed an Industry Open Day which took place at the Strathpeffer Pavilion on Thursday where the young people from the challenge's young people met with those from countries all over Europe competing in the European Business Game. The day provided an opportunity for them to share their business ideas with those from Slovakia, Croatia, Denmark, Italy, the Czech Republic and the Faroe Islands.

Chair of HIE William Roe said: "It was a pleasure to see the enthusiasm and commitment of the young people and I congratulate them all in getting so far in each competition. We live in an area that is really beginning to take its place in the global economy. The Youth Challenge competition provides a unique opportunity to grow confidence in our skillsets and networks and prove that we can take a leading role in product innovation over the years to come."

Winners:

Overall winners of the ICT Youth Challenge - Buckie Challengers

Runners up (in no particular order):

BT Award for Communications - FHS Girls from Farr
The Microsoft Award for Commercial Potential - 2 Boys and a Ginger from Inverness
HIE Award for Design and Innovation - team Azian from Tain

Team MP ME from Dornoch was also a runner up.