2026 Competition
2026 Participants
Schools:
- Belmont Community School
- Bishop Barrington School
- Dene Academy
- Durham Cathedral Foundation School
- Durham High School
- Durham Johnston School
- Hermitage Academy
- King James 1 Academy
- North Durham Academy
- Park View School
- Tanfield School
- Wolsingham School
Business Partners:
- Co-Op Distribution Centre (Birtley)
- South West Durham Training
- Equans
- PDM NE
- Erwin Hymer
- Durham City Incubator
- Stiller Warehousing
- TEDCO
- Robertson Homes
- Marmax Products
- Waterstons
This Year's Theme
Your Town, Your Story: Shaping Tomorrow Together
What makes you proud of your town?
Every town has a story — shaped by its people, its history, and its hopes for the future. As we look around our communities, we see change happening all the time: new technologies, new jobs, and new ways of living.
Familiar streets evolve, businesses close, and new ones take their place. Out-of-town shopping centres replace local businesses and encourage us to use cars for basic shopping.
But even as the world evolves, the pride we feel in our local area remains strong.
This year, Future Business Magnates invites you to explore what makes your town special and how you can help shape its future.
Your challenge is to create a business that will celebrate or highlight your town and have a positive impact on your community. It can be a product or a service, but it
must be based in your local area and draw inspiration from the heritage and culture of County Durham.
You might want to research local legends, sporting or cultural figures with a connection to the County or even explore what has made the Durham a world leader in the past.
Remember, this year marks the 200th anniversary of the creation of the railways, which began right here in the North East. From a small beginning, a massive world-changing industry was born. How could your business help to champion your area, change lives, or shape the future?
(Watch this video to see more about what Durham has to offer)
