Children have been invited to describe how technology could improve their local community in order to win big prizes for their schools .

The Make IT Happen competition is run by the Parliamentary Information Technology Committee (Pitcom) and sector skills council, e-Skills UK, and is open to teams of children aged between 9 and 11.

It will encourage pupils from schools across the UK to put forward ideas on how to tackle issues such as bullying, littering or environmental pollution, which will be depicted through a range of technology.

This can include Powerpoint presentations, electronic posters, a radio or TV campaign, or a website or podcast.

There are regional prizes of £1,000 for the winning schools in England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland. In addition, there are three top prizes of £4,500, £2,500 and £1,500; all prizes will be donated by the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

To encourage as much creativity as possible, head teachers will be notified by MPs sending out a letter to every school in their constituency. Pitcom also hopes to put details of the competition on the Department for Children, Schools and Families website.

To be in with a chance of winning, schools must register their entry, one per school, on the Make IT Happen website and then send details via email before 13 July.

A range of guides on the website will suggest ways schools can improve their entry; for example livening up Powerpoint slides by using animation.

Winning schools will be notified by email and invited to the Houses of Parliament for an awards ceremony in October.