Young Innovator Awards

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Young Innovator Awards

Youth focused design thinking program, delivered in the Western Bay of Plenty Clever eh!

The Young Innovator Awards (YiA) is a local awards programme for students in Tauranga/Western Bay of Plenty to promote innovation. Each year we ask: Intermediate school students in Yr 7-8 to build 'Home Alone' style machine to complete the most simple of tasks; and secondary school students in Yr 9-13 to come up with an idea for an innovative product or service that make the world a better place.

The winning entries, judged by NZ’s top innovators win a YiA Scholarship combining money-can’t-buy work experience with leading Bay of Plenty businesses and cash prizes. We create tomorrow’s innovators by offering a hands-on, learning by doing experience.

19/09/2024

We have so many amazing innovative companies right here in Tauranga, Bluelab are one of our Partners of yia!

Hear from Jono Jones, CEO at Bluelab

https://youtu.be/651Spv6adPI

17/09/2024

Winners of yia 2024 💡

📸

15/09/2024

Sponsor shoutout to Page Macrae Engineering,
They have been long supporters of yia! And we value their commitment to empowering the young innovators of tomorrow

Hear from Alan, CEO of Page Macrae Engineering

https://youtu.be/TqGhqmy2G9Y

13/09/2024

Reminiscing on the awards night!
See yourself? 👀

11/09/2024

Beca have been long supporters of yia!
And we are so lucky to have so many amazing organisations investing in the youth of tomorrow

Hear from Jeremy, Product Operations Manager from Beca Tauranga

https://youtu.be/ih6t4uhIJxc

02/09/2024

Big sponsor shoutout to University of Waikato - Tauranga The University of Waikato

Hear from Rosanne Ellis, Director Innovation and Impact

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edu41aUyHbI

29/08/2024

Did you use the The Photobooth Lady on the Awards Night?

Here is the link to the gallery:

https://thephotoboothlady.queensberryworkspace.com/checkaccess/galleryslide/ZGV1AGplAwMwMwtjZmqyA2ZjBD%3D%3D/list

yia! Awards 2024 by The Photobooth Lady

29/08/2024

A snippet of the yia! 2024 Workshop!

Special thanks to Salina Galvan Photography

Spot yourself? Make sure you follow us on Instagram to keep up to date, and some tips and tricks for next year.

28/08/2024

A huge congratulations to all the finalists, and to the winners of the 2024 yia! Awards.

Here's a recap...

People's Choice Award Winners
Intermediate: Clean Guard - Elliot Olsen from Aquinas College Tauranga
Junior: Warmth Sage - Christiana Byrne, Glint Chloey Asi, Tristan Alberts from Ōtūmoetai College
Senior: CC Amelia - Amaya Greene, Mia Olsen, Shiloh Warner, Skye Shaw from Mount Maunganui College

Supreme Winner
Intermediate: Clean Guard - Elliot Olsen from Aquinas College
Junior: Sun Spotter - Elia Szulakowski and Mia Lowe from Aquinas College
Senior: Kaitiaki Tech - Erin Moore from Aquinas College

Second Place Winners
Intermediate: Micro Extract - Zach De Graaf from Aquinas College
Junior: Re-Boot- Hannah Anderson and Kiana Schoeser from Aquinas College
Senior: Power Off - Agnés Anderson, Indie Minshall, Lauren Harris from Otumoetai College

Third Place Winners
Intermediate: Practice Perfect Music Stand - Ava Gardner, Catherine Jung from Aquinas College
Junior: Snug H**p - Alex Foot, Marlee Bowman, Taila Hester from Otumoetai College
Senior: CC Amelia - Amaya Greene, Mia Olsen, Shiloh Warner, Skye Shaw from Mount Manganui College

Category Winners
Creativity
Natures Net - Austin Fisken, Mehrab Singh, Tom Parkes from Otumoetai College

Communication
Study Buddy - Xavier Weatherley from Tauranga Boys' College

Research
Orca - Lachlan Talbot from Aquinas College

Sustainability
Bin Recycling System (BRS) - Layla Carke, Hayley Holland from Pāpāmoa College

Product Innovation Award sponsored by Globex
Re-Boot- Hannah Anderson and Kiana Schoeser from Aquinas College

!24 One

25/08/2024

We got our highlight photos from the workshop back from 💡

Spot yourself? 👀

We have the awards night this Wednesday! We cannot wait to celebrate everyone who has entered this year and further congratulate the winners of yia! 2024

22/08/2024

The powerhouses behind yia!
Meg, Project Manger and Be, Project Support

Without them, the programme would not be where it is today.

Bring on the awards!!!
Remember PEOPLE’s CHOICE is still up for voting, so make sure you spread the word and get people to vote vote vote!
One vote per person

14/08/2024

People's Choice voting is now OPEN!

https://www.yia.co.nz/peoples-choice

Vote for your favourite entry!!

23/07/2024

Entries for the 2024 yia! Awards are closing soon! Don't let your hard work go to waste.

Get your entry in here: www.yia.co.nz/

14/06/2024

Are you ready to be part of yia! ?

Unlock your potential and leave your mark on the world. Join a community of talented young innovators, learn design thinking skills and turn your ideas into reality!

https://www.yia.co.nz/enter

05/06/2024

🌟 Need help coming up with ideas? 🌟

Start by thinking about what you’re passionate about or a pain point you want to solve! 💡✨

Passion: What do you love doing? What excites you? 🎨⚽️📚 Turn your passion into a project that makes a difference!

Pain Points: What’s something that bothers you or others around you? 🚫🔍 Find a solution to a problem and make the world a better place!

Remember, the best ideas often come from the heart. ❤️

30/04/2024

Entries for the Young Innovators Award are NOW OPEN!

Are you a young innovator ready to showcase your ideas and creativity? Here's your chance to shine! Whether you're passionate about technology, sustainability, or social change, the yia! is your platform to explore your ideas through Design Thinking!

🎉 Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity! Enter now and let your innovation soar! 🚀

https://www.yia.co.nz/enter

13/09/2023

Did you get a happy snap on the yia! awards night with The Photobooth Lady?!
Pics from the evening, and all the fabulous yellow props, can be found here.. make sure to download and save your favourites!
🥸🤩🥳😎

Yia! awards 2023 by The Photobooth Lady

13/09/2023

Want to see what goes on in a yia! workshop? 😍🤩
Energy, ideation, bravery, creativity, craft tables and a whole lot of new friends!
Well done to all of our young innovators from 2023!

Credit to: Salina Galvan Photography for the awesome pics, The University of Waikato for hosting us, Circularity for running the workshop, our schools and volunteers for making the day possible

ACG Tauranga
Tauranga Boys' College
Tauranga Girls' College
Te Puke High School International
Otumoetai College
Bethlehem College Junior Secondaryp
Mount Maunganui College
Pāpāmoa College

WHAT. A. VIBE!

Address

29 Grey Street
Tauranga
3150

Website

http://www.yia.co.nz/

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Videos

How epic were the yia! 2024 trophies, made by @nzcrayons #yia #taurangamoana #tauranga #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youth #taurangaschools #designthinking #tauranga

Yia! teamed up with @drinkarepa this year, to help support the brains of our young innovators! The workshop was led by @creativehq, tasking our innovators with design thinking process to solve big issues #yia #tauranga #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youth #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #designthinking #arepa #braindrink #brainhealth #brainfood #health #drink

🎂Celebrating 15 years of yia!🎂 We had such an amazing year this year with all the entries, and to be able to celebrate with you all at the workshop was so special Bring on 2025! #birthdaycakecelebration #tauranga #yia #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #taurangaschools #youth #youthinnovation #designthinking #birthday #birthdaycake

Did you use @the_photobooth_lady on awards night? You can download your images here: https://bit.ly/3TgKm4G #yia #tauranga #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #taurangaschools #youth #youthinnovation #designthinking #photobooth #gif #empoweringyouth #youthempowerment

The making of the yia! 2024 trophies with @nzcrayons Was such a privilege to witness this beautiful innovative creation. Thanks to the team at @woodsagencynz for organising this!! What a unique way to make NZ made, local trophies! #yia #tauranga #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youth #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #designthinking #crayons #nzcrayons #crayonart

WHAT A NIGHT! There was such a vibrant vibe about last night, everyone was in such high spirits, We loved celebrating all the hard work you put in into your entries, Special thanks to everyone involved and all of our judges And we can’t forget the sponsors and partners. Not only did they provide some amazing prizes, they put in a lot of time too to make the yia! amazing. @taurangacitycouncil Robotics Plus, @becagroup Page Macrae, @universityofwaikatotauranga Globex Engineering, James and Wells, @brothernewzealand @priorityonetga, Instep, @woodsagencynz @bluelab_official @cucumber.nz @theshinecollective_ #yia #tauranga #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youth #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #designthinking #PriorityOne #Empoweryouth #youthempowerment

🥁Cue the drum roll! 🥁 Though the glitz and glamour of the big night has settled, the excitement is far from over. We’re thrilled to announce the winners of our 2024 yia! Awards! A huge congratulations to all the finalists, and especially to our Senior, Junior, and Intermediate winners, Category Award winners, and those who took out the People’s Choice Award. Keep on innovating! The winners are... People’s Choice Award Winners Intermediate: Clean Guard - Elliot Olsen from Aquinas College Junior: Warmth Sage - Christiana Byrne, Glint Chloey Asi, Tristan Alberts from Otumoetai College Senior: CC Amelia - Amaya Greene, Mia Olsen, Shiloh Warner, Skye Shaw from Mount Manganui College Supreme Winners Intermediate: Clean Guard Junior: Sun Spotter Senior: Kaitiaki Tech Second Place Winners Intermediate: Micro Extract Junior: Re-Boot Senior: Power Off Third Place Winners Intermediate: Practice Perfect Music Stand Junior: Snug Hemp Senior: CC Amelia Category Winners Creativity Natures Net Communication Study Buddy Research Orca Sustainability Bin Recycling System (BRS) Product Innovation Award sponsored by Globex Re-Boot Special thanks to our sponsors @taurangacitycouncil @universityofwaikatotauranga, Robotics Plus, @page_macrae_engineering, Globex, James and Wells, @brothernewzealand @becagroup And partners this year @priorityonetga, Instep,@woodsagencynz @bluelab_official @cucumber.nz @theshinecollective_ #tauranga #yia #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youth #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #designthinking

Sponsor shoutout Robotics Plus have been long supporters of yia! And are industry leaders of Robotics in horticulture Hear from Nathan Soich - Chief Commercial Officer from Robotics Plus Watch the full video here https://youtu.be/F3LUZaZeQAk?feature=shared #tauranga #yia #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youth #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #designthinking #roboticsplus

We have an exciting new sponsor this year for yia! With Globex Engineering sponsoring the Product Innovation Category The winner of this category will be able to work alongside Globex to bring their idea into a physical product! Hear from Aaron Holmes, Senior Engineering Lead from Globex You can watch the full video here: https://bit.ly/3YQ8TBr #tauranga #yia #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #youth #designthinking #STEM #engineering #productdesign

yia! 2024 Workshop! What a turnout and so many amazing ideas that came out through the Design Thinking Process Thanks to @creativehq for leading this workshop, and to all of our amazing partners and sponsors this year Without you, and our entries, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We cannot wait for the awards night next week!!! #yia #tauranga #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #youth #designthinking #priorityone #youthempowerment

We are so proud to announce one of our new sponsors of yia! 2024, James and Wells! Hear from Ben Cain, Partner at James and Wells here in Tauranga #tauranga #yia #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #youth #designthinking #JamesandWells #PriorityOne #EmpoweringYouth #youthempowerment

💡 GIVEAWAY 💡 Did you know we have our very own GIFs! Simply search “yia” Win one of 2 x $50 Prezzy Cards How to enter: 1. Like this post 2. Follow @yia_nz 3. Tag a fellow contestant 4. Share any of your yia journey or this post onto your stories and use our GIFs! This competition is only open to yia! 2024 contestants, Winners announced on the 23rd of August via DM #yia #youth #tauranga #taurangamoana #innovation #younginnovatorawards #innovationawards #youthinnovation #taurangaschools #youth #designthinking #competition #giveaway #win