Tag: Innovators

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YBMA 2024

Judging Criteria

Entries for the Young Business Mind Awards need to address these key criteria within the category chosen:

  1. What is the problem or issue your idea is tackling?
  2. What is the big benefit of your idea?
  3. Who will benefit from your idea and why?
  4. Why are you passionate about this idea?

Judges will be looking at the following:

1.            Communication of the idea/ product or project

  • Does the entrant/ team describe the idea clearly?
  • Does the entrant / team tell a compelling story that stands out from the rest?
  • Does the communication of the idea create the potential to influence others? (Investors, engineers etc.)

2.            The Why

  • Why did you submit an entry to these awards?
  • Why this category?
  • Will the idea / product solve a clear pain point for customers/end users?

3.            The Outcome

  • Explain how your solution has a social, economic and/or environmental impact (relevant to your category)
  • How will you use this idea to build a community of ‘followers’ that will help encourage innovation amongst your fellow students?

Scoring by the judges will consider the same three elements with scores of 1 to 5 being applied as follows:

Scoring Communication of the Idea/ Product or Project – the Pitch

5 = Individual/Team demonstrates great presentation skills that include all team/individual strengths and abilities. Individual/Team is professional in appearance and is strong in its overall cohesion and communication. They have included a pitch deck in their entry.

3 = Individual/Team demonstrates moderate presentation and team communication skills but would benefit from further guidance and practice.

1 = Individual/Team is not comfortable or is ineffective in presentation skills and team communication skills.

Scoring The Why – Desirability

5 = Individual/Team has a clearly explained the why of their idea and a clearly defined solution.

3 = Individual/Team has a clear idea/solution but is not clear on how or why it meets the need.

1 = Individual/Team has unclear idea/ product definition.

Scoring The Outcome – Feasibility/Viability

5 = Breakthrough innovation that potentially changes how impact is achieved; generates enthusiasm and support.

3 = Moderately innovative; different but not game changing.

1 = Interesting idea, but not distinctively innovative.

Judging

All entries are judged by a panel of subject matter experts, industry or business professionals selected at the sole discretion of Career Links from subject matter experts or practitioners in the areas of creativity, entrepreneurship or business.

Judges are required to sign a confidentiality agreement and disclose any conflict of interest.

The judges’ decision is final and no further correspondence will be entered into after a decision is made. We do not provide feedback on entries.

We wish everyone the best of luck with their entries and we can’t wait to see them! Entries are due in on September 3.

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HYBMA 2024

New Collaboration – Newcastle Innovation Summit presented by Future Minds Network

Here at the Young Business Mind Awards (YBMA) we have to rely on school educators or the University of Newcastle’s I2N Start Ups for Schools program to teach innovation and entrepreneurship skills to the students who participate in our competition. It was therefore, with some excitement, that we discovered that the Newcastle Innovation Summit was being held at the University of Newcastle at the end of this month 29 – 30 July.

We reached out to the Future Minds Network who is presenting the summit to find out more and to explore the opportunities for collaboration.  

The Newcastle Innovation Summit is a NSW-first platform for Year 10-11 students to learn innovation, explore emerging careers, and create their own employment. Designed, developed and delivered by youth, they deeply understand the challenges that students face today. This two-day program will start with an action-packed Summit of inspiring keynotes, panels, and practical workshops. It will culminate in a high-energy hackathon, where students develop their own business ideas to solve problems across Newcastle.

On Day 1, students will meet young entrepreneurs starting ice-cream companies from scratch, groundbreaking heat-tracking technology and adventure tourism businesses.

On Day 2, they will embark on a hackathon and build their own businesses on key themes of Future of Cities, Future of Education, Future of Healthcare then pitch their ideas to the NSW Government.

Guest speakers include previous recipients of Young Australian of the Year, Newcastle Citizen of the Year, Lord Mayor of Newcastle and more!

The Newcastle Innovation Summit is a wonderful opportunity for anyone interested in the innovation and entrepreneurship space and anyone considering entering the YBMA to learn and be inspired by the best. Participation in the high-energy hackathon, where students develop their own business ideas to solve problems across Newcastle will see students pitch their ideas in a 2 min presentation, and we are looking to video each pitch and automatically enter it into YBMA.

We recognize that this is an event targeted at senior high school students and that the YBMA is open to all ages under 25. We will endeavour over the next 12 months to seek out programs that are suited to younger students as part of the ongoing development of our annual event.

To register for this year’s Newcastle Innovation Summit, visit https://bit.ly/3LBkexv

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HYBMA 2024 Uncategorized

How it works…

Are you looking to inspire your students with an exciting project that sets them up for success? One that can lead to business and industry mentorship and that recognises and rewards efforts to make our world a better place?

The Young Business Mind Awards is open again this year and has partnered with the Hunter Innovation Festival to create opportunity and resources that encourage our young people to look to the future with positivity, to foster a sense of entrepreneurship and an awareness of the skills necessary for success in the world.

The YBMA has been providing a showcase opportunity for children and young people under the age of 25 to develop entrepreneurial projects since 2017. Young people are encouraged to enter a business idea, design a new product or showcase a creative project for a chance to win cash prizes, school recognition, industry mentorship and participation in this year’s Hunter Innovation Festival.

Primary students are encouraged to take on a class project exploring ideas around Sustainability.

Secondary students and under 25s can work as individuals or in groups across the categories of Sustainability, Social or Business Enterprise, Creative Industries or Design and Technology. It’s about taking a step closer to a future where their ideas can make a difference.

HOW IT WORKS

Step 1: Decide that you’re going to pursue this as a great project for your students (or yourself – there are teacher awards too) and register here. If you register before 31 May, you could win one of 10 $30 cash gift cards. Registration is only so that we have an idea of who is working towards their entry and how many participants we are likely to have and is not a barrier to entry.

Step 2: Familiarise yourself with the resources available online here. And the entry requirements (Secondary; Primary; Teacher).

Step 3: Talk to your students about the awards and start researching your big ideas, determining what category each student/group is entering as you go (Sustainability for Primary students; Sustainability, Business, Social Enterprise, Creative Industries, Design & Technology for Secondary students).

Hints: The awards are called the Young Business Mind Awards – the idea is to showcase an innovative new idea/business/product within your chosen category. Many existing school projects will fit the bill without much extra work entailed. How can you take your idea and create a business or product from it? What problems can you solve? Use the resources available online.

INVITATION – this is the point at which we invite you to reach out and request a visit from one of our team. We are happy to come along and present to your students for 30 minutes or so, explaining the awards and inspiring big ideas. Please reply to this email before June 7 if this is something you would like to take advantage of – we are offering this to 15 schools only.

Step 4: Award applicants should prepare a simple pitch deck explaining their project and produce a short 2 minute video to submit by Sept 3. The resource page on our website contains a pitch deck template, an idea builder for primary students, curriculum links for teachers, and a digital magazine for teens that contains useful content.

Step 5: Attend the awards ceremony, tentatively scheduled for Sept 24 to find out if you’ve won or been a runner up! Enjoy your prizes – we can arrange mentorship by appropriate businesses or industry leaders, incursions, excursions, attendance and participation in the Hunter Innovation Festival, there’s cash, trophies and certificates.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out and talk to us (email us at ybma@careerlinks.nsw.edu.au. Put your hand up for a visit. We want to make this as easy and rewarding for you as we can. We really believe that events like these help to foster the skills and networks our young people are going to need to be successful in the future and we’d love your students to be a part of it this year. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

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HYBMA 2024 Uncategorized

Prizes for YBMA 2024

3 girls showing their certificates

Prizes for YBMA are a bit different this year. We want to bring more value to the school, teachers and students. The biggest change is the collaboration with the Hunter Innovation Festival and the opportunity for students to attend and even participate in the festival. The addition of business and industry mentorships will be facilitated through Hunter IF and sponsors.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Primary Schools enter the Sustainability Category as a classroom or as individuals. There will be one winner and one runner up with some encouragement awards.

Primary Winner/s will receive:

School – $200 + Primary School Trophy

Entrant/s – $50 cash card + medallions & certificates

Invitation to attend the Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Runners up & Encouragement Awards will be medallions & certificates.

SECONDARY SCHOOLS/UNDER 25S

Secondary Schools and Under 25s enter as groups or individuals in the categories of Business, Social Enterprise, Sustainability, Design & Technology and Creative Industries. There will be one winner and runner up from each category with some encouragement awards.

Secondary / Under 25s Winner/s will receive:

School – $200 + Category Trophy

Entrant/s – $50 cash card + medallions & certificates

Invitation to attend the Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Runners up & Encouragement Awards will be medallions & certificates.

OVERALL WINNER

This year we’ve decided to award an overall winner. The overall winner can be awarded from either Primary, Secondary or Under 25s.

Overall Winner will receive:

School – $500 + Secondary School Trophy

If not in school, Under 25s – $500 seed funding + Trophy

Entrant/s – $100 cash card + medallions & certificates

Invitation to Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Opportunity to pitch at the Hunter Angels Pitch Event as part of Hunter Innovation Festival

TEACHERS

And we never forget our teachers, who can enter for innovation in the classroom. There will be one winner and one runner up with a possible encouragement award.

Winner will receive:

School – $500 + School Trophy

Entrant – $100 cash card + Trophy & certificate

Invitation to Hunter Innovation Festival valued at $249pp

Runners up & Encouragement Awards will be medallions & certificates.

In addition to the above prizes there will also be mentorships, incursions, excursions etc offered through sponsor organisations and/or the Hunter Innovation Festival. We are looking to showcase the winners at the festival and invite a panel of young people to participate.

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HYBMA 2024 Uncategorized

YBMA Winner Success

Group of female students win award

The Young Business Mind Awards (YBMA) has launched this year’s search for young innovators and entrepreneurs. The YBMA has been providing a showcase opportunity for children and young people under the age of 25 to develop entrepreneurial projects since 2017.

Young people are encouraged to enter a business idea, design a new product or showcase a creative project for a chance to win cash prizes, school recognition, industry mentorship and participation in this year’s Hunter Innovation Festival. Primary students are encouraged to take on a class project exploring ideas around Sustainability. Secondary students and under 25s can work as individuals or in groups across the categories of Sustainability, Social or Business Enterprise, Creative Industries or Design and Technology. It’s about taking a step closer to a future where their ideas can make a difference.

Last year, a group of six Year 8 students from Hunter School of Performing Arts (HSPA) won the Social Enterprise category for their innovative accessible self-checkout design. The exposure from the event has propelled their project forward, and they are now collaborating with Woolworths who is piloting its own accessible self-checkout design. The students will be travelling to Sydney to meet the design team behind it with the trip being funded by the winnings from YBMA.

“Winning the YBMA was a transformative experience for our students,” said Ben Moore, TAS teacher and STEM Project Officer at HSPA. “It not only validated their hard work, but the support and recognition also opened doors to incredible opportunities to collaborate with industry leaders.”

The YBMA is presented by Career Links, the organisation behind the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Career Expo and the Work Placement Program. The team are also collaborating with the Hunter Innovation Festival, the premier platform for showcasing innovation in our region.

Ryan Muir, CEO of RAM Manufacturing, and a member of the Advanced Manufacturing Action Summit group of Hunter IF is thrilled to be collaborating with YBMA.

“This partnership marks a pivotal moment as two great organizations join forces to nurture the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs by providing them with the resources and recognition they need to succeed,” said Ryan.

All the information about the awards can be found at www.ybma.com.au/about-the-awards/. Entries close on Sept 3.

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HYBMA 2024

YBMA Partners with Hunter IF

logo plus images of people enjoying a conference

We are terribly excited to announce that we are collaborating with Hunter IF and the Hunter Innovation Festival for this year’s awards. Hunter IF are keen to engage with the young people of our region, encouraging and rewarding the development of innovation and entrepreneurship skills.


Since its inception in 2002 as a component of The Australian Innovation Festival, initiated by Regional Development Australia, the Hunter Innovation Festival has significantly evolved to become a premier platform for showcasing innovation in Greater Newcastle and the Hunter region. It offers a platform for networking, learning, and inspiration and an opportunity to align with forward-thinking sectors of the community and support the region’s economic development.


Ryan Muir, CEO of RAM Manufacturing, and a member of the Advanced Manufacturing Action Summit group of Hunter IF is thrilled to be collaborating with YBMA.


“This partnership marks a pivotal moment as two great organizations join forces to enhance their offerings to the ambitious young minds across the Hunter Region,” said Ryan. “Together, we are committed to nurturing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs by providing them with the resources and recognition they need to succeed.”


The collaboration will offer participating students with additional online resources to inspire and engage imaginations as well as the opportunity to win passes to the Hunter Innovation Festival in October. The overall winner of the YBMA in 2024 will also be given the opportunity to pitch their BIG IDEA at the Hunter Angels Pitch Event as part of the Hunter Innovation Festival. YBMA winners’ work will also be showcased at the festival.


With representatives from sectors including Modern Manufacturing, Health Care, Circular Economy, Clean Technology, Emerging Technology, Defence, Finance and Investment, Research and Education, and Government in attendance at the festival, it provides students with a unique opportunity to learn, network and engage in a way that can provide insight, inspiration and a springboard into a future fit career within the innovation space.


“We’re eager to see the creative and innovative projects that participants will bring to the table,” said Ryan. “Let’s make this year’s awards a resounding success!”


Keep your eyes peeled over the coming few weeks for new online resources to inspire BIG IDEAS and don’t forget that registrations are open until May 31st with completed projects due on September 3.


** Let’s innovate and inspire together! **

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Uncategorized

Startups @ School

text

Young Business Mind Awards (YBMA) is proud to have I2N Integrated Innovation Network, a part of the University of Newcastle as one of our long-term partners. Did you know that they offer presentations and workshops for year 9 and 10 students on entrepreneurship?

This year we will be working with our partners to provide our teachers and schools with more resources to enable and grow participation in the YBMA because we believe that innovation and entrepreneurship are critical to our future – and that supporting our young people to develop skills in these areas is our duty.

I2N Startups @ School presentations and workshops are presented by leading I2N Startup founders, to inspire a future generation to reimagine what they can achieve in their career. Each program features one I2N Startup founder who, through sharing their story, will give the students a first-hand insight into the life of an entrepreneur.

The program is designed to be flexible and can be delivered at your school (from classes to year groups) or at the University of Newcastle’s Q Building in Newcastle (up to 60 students). There are two options to choose from – the 30-minute option which is perfect for assemblies and career days, featuring a presentation from a local startup founder or the 60-minutes option which also incorporates an interactive workshop into what entrepreneurship is and what the first steps look like once you have an idea.

This program fits seamlessly into the YBMA as it provides the perfect foundation for students to develop the confidence to problem solve, to understand how innovation and entrepreneurship work and to have a go at developing their own BIG IDEA to enter into the awards.

If you are interested in inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs through a Startups @ School presentation or workshop, you can find more information at newcastle.edu.au/startups-at-school or contact Tayla Furey, Program Coordinator, (High Schools) at Tayla.furey@newcastle.edu.au or phone +61 2 49217410. Along with participation in YBMA, it begins a solid foundation in the study of entrepreneurship, business studies and career preparation.

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HYBMA 2024

Career Links & HYBMA Join Forces

Hunter Young Business Mind Awards and Career Links have very exciting news! We’ve joined forces to deliver the competition in 2024 and from now on HYBMA will be a Career Links event, delivered to you by the team behind the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Career Expo, the Work Placement Program, Youthlinks, the Future Choices Disability Expo, YAKKA and the Mini Electric Vehicle Challenge.

We are working behind the scenes to have everything ready to launch this year’s competition before the end of March. In the meantime, there are no plans to change the structure of the competition, in this way, teachers and students can begin confidently working on their projects.

Primary schools can enter as individuals or as classes in the category of Sustainability. Secondary schools and tertiary students can enter as individuals or a group in the categories of Sustainability, Business Enterprise, Creative Industries, Design & Technology, or Social Enterprise.

Career Links would like to acknowledge the hard work and commitment that has gone into the development of the awards over the years by the founding board of HYBMA and past sub-committee members who were all volunteers. This exciting new phase of the awards brings the expertise of the Career Links team who have extensive experience and relationships with schools, industry and businesses to take HYBMA to the next level.

Let’s make this year’s awards truly amazing – celebrating the innovation, passions and entrepreneurial spirit of our youth.

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HYBMA 2023

Celebrating the Hunter’s Young Business Minds 2023 Award Winners

Students and business leaders posing together after award ceremony

The Hunter Young Business Mind Awards (HYBMA) has celebrated and awarded this year’s young entrepreneurs and innovative teachers at a packed event held at University of Newcastle’s I2N on Honeysuckle.  In it’s sixth year, the awards recognise young people under the age of 25 who have an innovative business concept, product, service or solution and educators for innovation in the classroom.

The event was MC’d by innovation ecosystem connector and Business Development Manager for The University of Newcastle Research Associates, Daniel Smith, who began his own journey into innovation and change making when he was still at high school and believes that traditional jobs are ‘dead’.

“The most important skill you can learn is how to solve problems,” said Daniel. “And that is what all of the award participants have done.”

Supported by local companies such as Hunter Water and Ampcontrol that are seeking next-generation skills to future-proof their business, the awards provide an avenue for our region’s youth to showcase their ideas and network with industry leaders.

“It was amazing getting to speak with industry experts, fellow students and the many other people who attended the awards night,” said 14-year-old Joshua Pidgeon, winner of the Design and Technology award. “I was excited to talk to the Newcastle Airport Astra Aerolab representative for over 30 minutes! I’m hoping to apply again next year.”

Across several different categories, entrants tried to solve real world problems with runners up winning $500 and winners receiving $1000. The problems tackled by the students were wide-ranging and included: accessible self-checkouts; portable washing and spinning device for backpackers; a school uniform recycling program; an app that records where you’ve parked your car; sustainable shelters for school bus stops; milk cartons made from sustainable milk casein and recycled cardboard; a product that promotes nutrient density in the soil and many more innovative ideas.

“I learnt a lot through this project,” said Joshua Pidgeon who developed the sustainable bus shelters. “I learnt about the design process, about pre-modelling and sustainable materials used in construction.”

Lotus Antoni, winner of the Business Enterprise award for her Dairy Way submission has big plans for the future.

“I want to take my concept to UNSW to find the right formula for my sustainable milk carton, to research the correct formula and then take it to the government.”

And perhaps, most moving of all, young 14-year-old Taya Porter who was in a wheelchair, shared her frustrations at inaccessible self-checkouts and the difficulty it places her in when she goes shopping.

“Our design for accessible self-checkouts will provide greater independence for people like me,” said Taya. “It creates a better quality of life for those in a wheelchair and able-bodied people who may not be suited to the usual check out design.”

AND THE WINNERS ARE:

The Teacher Innovation Award

Runner Up: Caroline Phillips and Amy Radford – Macquarie College – Transdisciplinary Education Program

Winner: Jade Bassett – Rutherford Technology High – Women in Stem     

Primary Students Innovation in Sustainability

Runner up: The Youth Environment Council – Belltrees Primary School – Biological Bubble Bath

Winner: Creative Creators Team – Shoal Bay Primary School – Creative Creators

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Sustainability

Runner up: Isabella McGhie – Belmont Christian College – Izzys Services Sustainability

Winner: Isabelle Donohoe – Hunter Valley Grammar – Aquarinse

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Business Enterprise

Runner up: Annabel McKensey, Zara Campbell, Kiara Drinkwater – Newcastle Grammar – Find my Car

Winner: Lotus Antoni Rutherford High School – Dairy Way

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Social Enterprise

Runner up: Annika van Woerkom – Hunter Valley Grammar – Safe Seats

Winner: Tilly Bevin, Taya Porter, Alice Wilkinson, Emma Collinson, Samia Burke, Laura Gabrielli – Hunter School of Performing Arts – Accessible Self-Checkout

Secondary & Under 25’s Innovation in Design & Technology

Runner up: Charles Cohen – Newcastle Grammar School – Zenithium the future of security assets

Winner: Joshua Pidgeon Bishop Tyrell Anglican College – Star – School Transport and Roads Shelter Plan

Tricia Martin, HYBMA Sub-Committee Chair, CEO of Nudge On and herself an FYA Young Social Pioneer sees the organisation as a proud champion of young innovators across the Hunter region.

“And we don’t plan to slow down,” said Tricia. “In 2024 HYBMA will spotlight and celebrate Hunter youth spanning from Primary School to 25 years of age who have developed entrepreneurial solutions to challenges spanning from sustainability, design and tech to accessibility. The awards will be open from early 2024.”

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HYBMA 2023

Career Pathways with Ampcontrol – Gold Sponsor

Female workers at Ampcontrol

Innovation is embedded into the DNA of Ampcontrol, and we’re committed to empowering the next generation to challenge the future of energy through sponsoring the Hunter Young Business Mind Awards.

Ampcontrol creates energy solutions of scale using innovation partnerships, our smart people and our advanced Australian manufacturing capabilities. Our vision is to lead the global energy revolution and make net zero a reality.

Every day, the world-first innovations from Ampcontrol help and support customers in all industries to decarbonise. With a proven track record of over half a century of developing custom energy solutions, we’re trusted by customers worldwide to future-proof their business.

We recognise that the energy sector is changing, progressing into renewable sources such as battery/electric, hydrogen and solar to reduce our carbon footprint. With these advancements comes a wealth of jobs and opportunities to make a real impact in the movement towards net zero.

Your unique talents, expertise and insights could play a pivotal role in helping us lead the global energy revolution. If you’re an innovator, thought leader, or someone who is up for challenging the status quo, we want to hear from you.

To make it even easier, here are the three avenues you can choose from:

  1. SCHOOL LEAVERS: From work placements through to traineeships, we provide hands-on learning opportunities for aspiring electricians, electronic technicians, fabricators, and mechanical fitters.
  2. UNIVERSITY GRADUATES: We offer multiple avenues for university undergraduates and recent graduates to gain valuable experience in energy, infrastructure and resource sectors, from Work Integrated Learning and Industrial Placements through to our Graduate Pathways and Graduate Program
  3. APPRENTICE PROGRAMS: Combining study and work experience, our apprentice programs are available in trades such as Electrotechnology, Fabrication, Electronics, Electrical Fitting and Mechanical Fitting and Engineering – Mechanical.

Find out more about our range of career pathways into Ampcontrol and discover how you can play a part in revolutionising industry. ???? https://ampcontrolgroup.com/work-with-us/career-pathways

 

 

The YBMA is about encouraging students and schools in the Hunter to think like entrepreneurs, to express their creativity and develop the self-confidence to present their ideas. YBMA is a Career Links event.

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