Recent research highlights that increasing the number of females in all fields of STEM is still an elusive goal, with many middle years students (Years 5-8), particularly girls, turning away from STEM offerings at school. In an increasingly technological world, it is important that all students are provided with opportunities to participate in STEM to enable them to interact with everyday technologies and to understand their world. In 2018, the project, Girls as leaders in STEM, was designed for school-age girls from years 5 to 8 to develop STEM capabilities in project-based design technology learning challenges.  By working closely with women in STEM and connecting with local industries, the aim was to impact girls’ STEM engagement and understandings. The project uses a series of workshops that facilitate a collaborative design-based learning experience where girls are exploring the creative possibilities of STEM. Since 2019, the project has run with four cohorts of students (180) and teachers (35) in regional and rural areas. This presentation will report on aspects of the project such as the design process and student/teacher involvement. Evaluation of the project reveals: girls’ engagement is high; knowledge of what constitutes STEM is expanded; and attitudes to STEM careers are improved.