Silver Award
Typical ages 14+
Typically 30 hrs to complete
£15 UK; £25 International
Challenge your students to take ownership of a STEM project in teams or individually. Silver Awards are designed to stretch students and enrich their STEM studies. Whether investigating their own project idea or using one of our free resource prompts, students plan and direct their own project, gaining in-depth experience of the scientific method or engineering design process.
How to run
Plan
Browse the free resources in our Resource Library for Silver project ideas.
Alternatively, students can create and design their own Silver projects. Familiarise your students with the CREST criteria for Silver so they know what to aim for.
Complete
Students complete their Silver projects before submission. Create a free account on our application platform to submit projects.
Upload the Silver project work alongside a profile form of each student.
Assess
Students must meet at least 11 of the 15 Silver CREST criteria to earn a Silver CREST Award.
A CREST assessor evaluates each Silver project. The application fee must be paid before assessment.
Achieve!
Celebrate the success of your students as they achieve their Silver CREST Awards.
Share your experience with us - email us, tell us in the survey, or tag us in your posts. Let's spread the joy and inspire others with your students' success!
Plan
Browse the free resources in our Resource Library for Silver project ideas.
Alternatively, students can create and design their own Silver projects. Familiarise your students with the CREST criteria for Silver so they know what to aim for.
Complete
Students complete their Silver projects before submission. Create a free account on our application platform to submit projects.
Upload the Silver project work alongside a profile form of each student.
Assess
Students must meet at least 11 of the 15 Silver CREST criteria to earn a Silver CREST Award.
A CREST assessor evaluates each Silver project. The application fee must be paid before assessment.
Achieve!
Celebrate the success of your students as they achieve their Silver CREST Awards.
Share your experience with us - email us, tell us in the survey, or tag us in your posts. Let's spread the joy and inspire others with your students' success!
Free Silver resources
- This accompanying guide is designed to support students to complete a Silver CREST Award. It covers how to prepare for carrying out a project, the relevant CREST criteria and guidance on how to write and submit a proj...#CRESTSilver#Student#Guide
- This project allows students to consider and explore materials, thinking about which properties are most important for a pair of jeans. Do jeans need to be strong, and are some materials tougher than others?#Silver#Textiles#Materials#Clothes
- This Silver project asks students to investigate pasta and explore how cooking it affects its properties.#Silver#Chemistry#Cooking#Food
- This Silver project prompts students to learn about weights and counterweights by designing their own model pirate ship ride, fit for a theme park!#Silver#Physics#Engineering#Entertainment
- This Silver project asks students to explore the properties of clay as they design and make beads or pendants to create their own piece of jewellery.#Silver#Chemistry#Materials#Fashion
- This Silver project allows students to explore the science behind art restoration, discovering the ways that paints can change over time. They will carry out tests on different types of paints and perhaps even make so...#Silver#Chemistry#Materials#Art
Fees and funding
The Silver CREST Award costs £15 per student in the UK. While we want all young people to participate, we recognise that costs can be a barrier for some schools. UK schools in challenging circumstances, especially those with many underrepresented pupils in STEM, can apply for funding to help run CREST.
Hear from our community
"CREST gave him [George] a stepping stone…to allow him to independently showcase his skills and knowledge. George is the first Lighthouse student to achieve his Silver Award and it is a boost of confidence for George and a source of pride for the school."
"To look at evidence and form your own conclusions is a really important skill regardless of whether or not you want to go on to do science in later life. So, I think that helping students to develop that skill is key to them being successful humans. That's the more important thing for me -- to be an individual that can actually function in the world. If we don't do that then we've failed. "
"The CREST work was low-stakes and allowed the students to take the time to consider why we carry out practicals, what data we can gather, and how results could be used."
Apply for a Silver Award
Ready to take your students' STEM skills to the next level? Apply for the CREST Silver Award and bring their own project idea to life! They will gain hands-on experience with the scientific process - planning, investigating, testing, and reflecting - just like real researchers do!
Other CREST Awards for secondary levels
Typical ages 11+
Typically 10 hrs
£6 UK; £12.50 International
Bronze Award
An introduction to STEM project work for students working individually or in teams. Bronze Awards introduce students to project work empowering them to work like real scientists. Students choose their own topic and methodologies, giving them complete freedom over their work.
Explore Bronze Award
Typical ages 16+
Typically 70 hrs to complete
£30 UK; £40 International
Gold Award
Awaken your students’ potential with a long-term, open-ended project ideal for enhancing their UCAS applications. Gold Awards are longer projects that immerse students in real research. At this level, we recommend students work with a mentor from their chosen STEM field of study.
Explore Gold Award
We are here to help
Find answers to your questions quickly and easily with our Help Centre Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Whether you're just getting started with CREST Awards or looking for specific details on projects, resources, or submission guidelines, our comprehensive FAQs has you covered.
