Upsurge in Bay’s Young Innovators

Upsurge in Bay’s Young Innovators

MEDIA RELEASE: Monday 28 July 2014. Fifty five finalists have been announced in the 2014 Western Bay of Plenty Young Innovator Awards. Finalists were selected from over 100 entries, the majority of which have come from local secondary school students.

The Young Innovators Awards (YIA) were established in 2010 by economic development agency Priority One’s Instep programme. YIA encourages the development of a culture of innovation in the Western Bay of Plenty sub-region through inspiring and encouraging young people to become true innovators. It engages secondary school students and people under 40 years of age who reside in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty in the process of innovative thinking and problem solving to come up with an idea for a product or service.

Lyn Parlane, Priority One’s Instep Manager and YiA spokesperson, says “The quality and calibre of this year’s entries is the best the annual competition has seen. There has been an increase in the number of group entries from participating schools, which includes Aquinas College, Mount Maunganui College, Otumoetai College, Papamoa College, Tauranga Girls’ College, Tauranga Boys’ College, Te Puke High School and Te Wharekura o Mauao.”

The projects from all of this year’s finalists will be on display at Bayfair Shopping Centre until 6 August, giving the public the opportunity to vote for the People’s Choice Award. The winner of this category will be announced, along with other category winners, at the launch of Western Bay @ Work on the evening of 7 August. All finalists will be judged by a panel of experts against five criteria: research, communication, innovation, sustainability and creativity.

To coincide with the YIA awards, the second annual YIA Innovation Forum will be held at Trinity Wharf Tauranga on Friday 8 August. To find out more and register for this event, visit www.yia.co.nz/forum.

The annual Young Innovator Awards are organised by Priority One’s Instep programme, Locus Research and Woods the Creative Agency. For further information, visit www.yia.co.nz.

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