Sunshine Coast Grammar School students participated in the 2023 Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards and showcased their unique innovations at the live pitch and awards ceremony on Thursday evening, taking out the top prize for their Reel Health innovation.
Over the course of several weeks, four exceptional Grammar teams from Year 9 – 12 embarked on a journey of innovation, creating ground-breaking solutions for the problems they identified. All four teams were successful in advancing to the final stages, with Grammar having more successful teams than any other school on the Sunshine Coast.
The winning team, consisting of Year 9 student Lila Collins, Year 11 students Hugo Collins and Max Mays-Duncan, and mentor Mrs Carey Warhurst, successfully pitched their innovative Reel Health idea, which involves an attachable reel system for a 12-lead Electrocardiogram Machine (ECG). The product uses a spring reel system to retract the ECG cords back into the machine with a simple tug.
The evaluation panel was thoroughly impressed and captivated by the student’s innovative ideas, leading to their well-deserved triumph in receiving the prestigious awards.
The winning teams share in more than $10,000 worth of prizes, with Grammar students also securing a mentoring experience with Garry Swanepoel from the Startup Precinct to help bring their ideas to market.
The awards program connects students with industry-leading mentors to advance their skills and critical thinking and 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.
The four Grammar teams secured their spot in the finals alongside 13 other local school teams. The four teams exhibited remarkable performances and delivered compelling live pitches to the panel, resulting in strong placements.
The Year 9 student group with mentor Mrs Tania Guteridge, delivered Handi-Shoppa, an accessible shopping cart designed to assist disabled and elderly people. It is an invaluable aid for those who struggle with mobility issues.
The Year 10 student group with mentor Mr Simon Groom, delivered JobsLaunch, a highly-scalable and innovative job-seeking app designed specifically for teenagers on the Sunshine Coast.
The Year 12 student group with mentor Mrs Tania Guteridge, delivered MelodyMatch an innovative song recommendation algorithm to change how we listen to and experience music. Song ID is used to conduct a comprehensive search within a song database, revealing a curated selection of tunes that closely match your favourite song.
Students have been developing their ideas and concepts since the beginning of the awards in February this year and had the opportunity to attend mentoring sessions hosted by a range of entrepreneurs and industry experts to assist in bringing their innovations to life.
Throughout the process, each student exhibited dedication and unwavering commitment. We take immense pride in witnessing their passion and determination and we eagerly await the prospect of their creativity and hard work reshape the world around us.
