‘Incredible’ student ideas that could change our lives!

From solar panel drones to attached reel systems for ECG machines and a device that makes it easier to shop, the Sunshine Coast’s brightest young entrepreneurs and innovators are rising to the challenge.

The Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards are hotting up with a record 13 finalists named in Years 9 to 12 across multiple Sunshine Coast schools.

The awards program presents a rare opportunity for student teams to bring their creative ideas or business solution to life.

Finalists will now advance after the opening phase of judging to connect with some of the region’s most successful industry leaders and mentors to further develop their concepts.

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said the awards supported the development of ideas that used creativity, innovation or technology to solve a community, environmental or business challenge.

“We’ve had an incredible entries response this year with an increase in schools participating, which includes all schools returning from last year and a great mix of new schools joining the program,”

Mayor Jamieson said.

“The calibre of applications has been fantastic and it’s great to see the program is building with double the entries from last year.

“From aquaponics to smart life jackets to automated biowaste systems, our future leaders have put forward an incredible array of ideas, many of which align to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which could one day strengthen and enhance capabilities in our region.

“And whether they got through to the next stage or not, we have been so impressed by all the entries this year and thank these students for their innovative thinking and confidence to participate in programs like this.”

Burnside State High School

Yabbieponics: Repurposing IBCs that are chopped up to make fish tanks that can house and grow fish and crustaceans that feed the plants, with my point of difference to make a product that is available to the public to buy that uses Aquaponics to grow food.

Caloundra State High School

Accessible Sunshine Coast: A website designed to show accessibility in Caloundra for tourists, visitors and locals, including areas that are bad for sensory sensitivities.

Chancellor State College

A-Bite: A-BITE (Automated Biowaste Intelligently Transforming Energy) is an improved renewable energy cycle using smart technologies to innovate the capture of under-utilized bioenergy from the Maroochydore Smart City food waste.

Glasshouse Christian College

Solbot: Solbot uses drone technology to dispatch autonomous cleaning robots to rejuvenate the efficiency of solar panels, increasing the overall sustainability while making cleaning of solar panels safe.

Matthew Flinders Anglican College

MyPark Finder: MyPark Finder is an app that can be downloaded on all mobile phones which assists people in locating car parks.

Mountain Creek State High School

Forever Alive: A smart, self-watering pot plant system. The aim is to prevent plants dying from incorrect watering.

Suncoast Christian College

Send It Siren: A bicycle alarm which is in the stem of the bike. This device will detect movement when turned on and will sound an alarm which will scare thieves while also alerting the owner.

Sunny Stations: Solar powered electric scooter charging stations. These charging stations will complement the beach environment by being in the shape of a palm tree with solar panels being the leaves.

The Fape: We have produced the newest and boldest idea. The Fape is a fake vape that runs off saline solution, good for your lungs as only consists of salt and water. What sets our idea apart is the 100% chemical free inhalation.

Sunshine Coast Grammar

Handi-Shoppa: Our accessible shopping cart is designed to assist disabled and elderly people. It is an invaluable aid for those who struggle with mobility issues.

JobsLaunch: JobLaunch is a highly-scalable and innovative job-seeking app designed specifically for teenagers on the Sunshine Coast.

MelodyMatch: MelodyMatch’s innovative song recommendation algorithm will change how we listen to and experience music. Song ID compared with song database to find similar songs then songs are outputted from the database that are similar to your favourite song.

Reel Health: This product is an attachable reel system for a 12-lead ECG machine. 12 individual reels for each lead, which all attach to form the unit. This product will use a spring reel system in order to retract the ECG cords back into the machine with a simple tug.

About The Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards for 2024

Sunshine Coast Council is proud to partner with Telstra and Study Sunshine Coast to deliver the Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards 2023.

The Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards Are Underway!

Year 9 to 12 students across the Sunshine Coast are participating in the 2023 Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards. Students have the opportunity to create, innovate and collaborate by bringing their creative idea or business solution to life.  There is over $10,000 in prizes to share in including a personal mentor start-up incubator experience! Plus finalist teams have the opportunity to work with industry mentors and experts to further develop their idea and critical thinking.

“Our involvement in MTIA has been invaluable. We have discovered new business opportunities as a result of having been involved in MTIA. The experiences have provided us with phenomenal learning experiences. MTIA has created opportunities to learn new skills, network with others and collaborate as part of a team. Being involved in the competition was also lots of fun!” 

Bird Bell, 2022 MTIA Winning Team

Teams have put their innovation and creativity skills to work by developing a new app, design and engineering project, gaming technology or robotics. The ideas and business solutions are endless and could be a new idea for transport, health, the environment, the underprivileged, agriculture, sport, events, tourism, cyber security, conservation, construction, manufacturing energy or recreation. It could be the use of existing technology in a new way to solve a community, environmental or business challenge.

To learn more about the 2023 Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards, watch the videos below or download the Program collateral.