Prewired Summer Make-a-Thon 2026

Prewired, the Edinburgh programming club for young people, is hosting its fourth annual Summer Make-a-Thon! Come join us for a full weekend of coding and problem solving. Form a team, build a solution to a problem together, present it to a panel of judges, and maybe even win a prize!

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The Prewired Summer Make-a-Thon is a 2-day event, running from 10 to 5 on both Saturday and Sunday. This year, our theme is mental health. In a team of 3 or 4, you'll think of a problem that you'd like to create a solution for and then spend the weekend building it. You can use any technology you'd like - whether software-based (Scratch, Python, websites, ...) or hardware-based, using any of the equipment we have available, such as LEGO robotics, BBC micro:bits, or Arduinos. Of course, our volunteer mentors will be there the entire time to help you out.

At the end of the weekend, you'll present your solution to the other attendees as well as a professional jury who will judge each entry. There are many awards to be won and one team will take home the grand prize!

The Make-a-Thon is open to all aged 11-17, regardless of experience.

Our normal Wednesday evening coding club is also still running throughout summer! Click here to sign up for those. New dates are added at the end of each month.

Price

The event is completely free to attend. If you sign up, we do expect you to attend both days.

Food and drink

We will provide snacks and drinks throughout the weekend, but you'll be expected to provide your own lunch. Please bring a packed lunch with you on both days. Alternatively, you can go out during the lunch break to buy your own lunch, but only if you have parental permission to do so as indicated on the sign-up form.

Location

The entrance to CodeBase is on 37a Castle Terrace - come in to reception and there will be volunteers to welcome you.

Teamwork

We will create teams of 3 or 4 before the event starts, based on the technology you've chosen to work with and your level of experience. If you'd like to be in a team with someone you know is joining too, or have any other concerns about teamwork, you can enter that on the sign-up sheet and we will do our best to accommodate your request. We can't, however, 100% guarantee in advance who you'll be in a team with, as we might have to shuffle team members around last-minute depending on cancellations and other circumstances.

If you're booking multiple tickets at once (for example, signing up siblings) - please indicate whether you'd like to be in a team together or not!

Technologies and equipment

Teams can decide themselves what technologies they'd like to use. For software-based projects, this could be block-based environments like Scratch or Code.org App Lab, scripting in Python, websites in HTML/CSS/JavaScript, or even games in engines like Godot. For hardware-based projects, we have a lot of technology that you'll be able to use freely during the weekend, including multiple LEGO Robotics kits (both EV3 and SPIKE Prime), BBC micro:bits, Arduinos and Raspberry Pis. With a bit of luck we may also be able to get our 3D printer working in time for the event.

It's good if you bring your own laptop if you can, as you'll be able to get to work a lot faster on a system you're familiar with. However, if you don't have any at hand, we do have many spares you can use, as well as accessories like keyboards, mice, and headphones.

Parents / guardians

Parents, guardians, and other guests are welcome to come along and watch the project presentations on Sunday 2 August from 15:00 - 17:00! 

Due to space constraints, we won't be permitting parents to stay during the rest of the event, with the exception of special circumstances - please let us know beforehand on the sign-up form or reach out to us at hello@prewired.org.

Cancellations

If you sign up but realise you can't make it, or if you accidentally book extra spaces for any reason, please make sure to cancel your ticket so the spot can be released to someone else!

Contact

Please get in touch at hello@prewired.org with any questions!