Year 7 student, Ada, named as the winner of the GDST Atherton Award

Posted on 15th July 2026

Congratulations to Ada (Year 7), the winner and recipient of this year’s GDST Atherton Award.

The Atherton Award recognises girls who show entrepreneurial thinking in a STEM discipline. The award is run by Amber Atherton, British entrepreneur and investor. Amber has been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 and was previously Head of Strategic Communities at Discord and CEO of software start-up Zyper. She is passionate about incentivising more young women in the UK to pursue entrepreneurial or STEM careers.

Students were invited to submit an application which demonstrates their initiative in starting and completing a STEM project. They were asked to share their achievement, the challenges they faced, what they have learned and how they plan to develop their idea.

The winners from each school receive a trophy, £500 to support the next phase of their journey and a day of mentoring with a tech entrepreneur.

Ada’s Atherton Award entry was the development of an application called iSquash, an AI-powered coaching platform designed to make professional squash training more accessible and affordable for young players worldwide.

“I am proud to have created an AI-based squash coaching platform that can process and analyse how you play in real time, providing you with tips and tricks. I have also included, in the prototype, a nutrition plan so it can help players with all the aspects of their coaching. My goal is to use the support of the Atherton Award to develop iSquash into a fully functional app.”

Ada, Year 7 Norwich High School student

Ada was commended for her application by Amber Atherton, who commented:

“There were many outstanding applicants this year, I would like to give an honourable mention to all applicants. After much consideration, we are delighted to recognize Ada as the winner of The 2026 Atherton Award. Ada stood out for demonstrating exceptional ambition, innovation, and entrepreneurial vision through the creation of iSquash, an AI-powered coaching platform designed to make professional squash training more accessible and affordable for young players worldwide. Ada identified the significant barriers of cost and travel that many aspiring athletes face. We look forward to seeing iSquash continue to evolve and make a lasting impact on the future of squash development.”

“Once again, Norwich High School students have embraced the opportunity to apply for the Atherton Award. Showcasing their wide ranging entrepreneurial ideas across Year 7 through to Year 13.”

Louise Ryan, Head of Product Design at Norwich High School for Girls

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