• Swindon & Wiltshire Awards
• Friday April 3 2026

Teenager wins science prize for talk on déjà vu

A Swindon teenager has won a science competition with a talk on the neuroscience of déjà vu.

Isabel Aguilar was chosen as the winner of the first ever FameLab Academy Swindon, in the final event of the Festival of Tomorrow 2026 Schools Programme.

Isabel – a year 9 student from Abbey Park School – amazed the judges with her talk, Echos of the Mind, which explored the neuroscience of déjà vu.

The FameLab Academy final took place at the Civic Offices, following months of preparation in schools across Swindon, with each participating school selecting two students to take part in the final.

FameLab Academy, developed by Cheltenham Science Festival but delivered by the Festival of Tomorrow in Swindon, challenges students to present on a science-related topic of their choice, with no PowerPoints allowed, and with only props the student can carry on stage with them.

The students’ entries were judged on content, charisma and clarity by a panel from UK Research and Innovation, the Science and Innovation Park, as well as Cllr Marina Strinkovsky, Swindon Borough Council.

The competition was just one of the new additions to this year’s Festival of Tomorrow Schools programme, which this year provided over 12,500 fully-funded student places on an inspiring range of in-school and online activities designed to give young people the opportunity to engage with the research, knowledge and ideas that will shape our future.

Thanks to support from Arts Council England, Swindon-based UK Research and Innovation, Business West, Catalent, the Science Museum Group’s Science and Innovation Park and the UK Electronics Skills Foundation, organisers were able to offer Swindon schools an exciting menu of challenges, shows and workshops, giving thousands of pupils the opportunity to engage with science, technology, engineering and the creative arts.

Over 35 Swindon schools participated in this year’s programme, which included school visits from role models such as astrophysicist Dr Sarah Crick; hands-on workshops facilitated by researchers from Ulster University Future Island-Island project or the University of Oxford Vax Hub, creative sessions with local author Kate Claxton, and exciting special assembly shows bringing big concepts to life.

Festival Director, Rod Hebden said: “There’s a growing body of evidence that children as young as seven are already forming attitudes and beliefs about who can and who can’t have a career in research, or the arts.

“The latest research shows that whilst the public are increasingly recognising the importance of science to their lives, more and more children are being put off these subjects before they even leave primary school.

“This can have a really negative impact on their aspirations and opportunities as they move forward in life.

“Giving young people these rich experiences and chances to meet a diverse range of inspiring role models is important in helping to change some of those perceptions. Programmes like FameLab Academy Swindon are a fantastic way to encourage curiosity about the World, whilst supporting young people to develop transferable skills like communication and critical thinking.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the support of all our funders, partners and presenters for making this possible, and we’re now on the lookout for organisations to support this work to continue next year.”