3M Inspire Challenge 2022 Names Three Undergraduates Country Champions For Australia And New Zealand

After a heated round of pitching and much deliberation amongst the judges, winners for the 3M Inspire Challenge 2022 Country-Level Semi-Finals in Australia and New Zealand were selected. Team Auckland AEZ will go up against eight other teams across Asia-Pacific to compete for the Regional Champion title.

Emma Blackwood, Alex Zhuang, and Zaakirah Nabi, students from the University of Auckland secured the title of Australia and New Zealand “Country Champions”. Emerging victorious over two other shortlisted teams from Australia, Team Auckland AEZ clinched US$2,000 and internship opportunities with 3M New Zealand.

Alex Zhuang explained what inspired his team to come up with an innovative approach to generating an effective STEM education programme, mentorship, and support network for youth in New Zealand. “Navigating career options as a student has always been difficult, attributed to the difference between theoretical learnings and their application in a real-world context. Uncertainty is a barrier stopping many people from pursuing a pathway, and we want to break that barrier through a BootCamp programme.”

Team Auckland AEZ will advance to the next and final stage of the challenge – the Asia-Pacific Regional-Level Finals, where they will vie for the title of “Regional Champions” and a US$5,000 cash prize in front of a live judging panel.

Winning will not be easy. During this stage, Auckland AEZ will go up against eight other teams from India, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, the team will continue to enjoy access to a 3M Mentor in New Zealand who will help them sharpen their ideas.

“The world is facing tougher problems every day, but the ingenious ideas presented today by the three teams of creative young minds are truly inspiring,” said Eleni Sideridis, Managing Director and General Counsel of 3M Australia and New Zealand. “Platforms like the 3M Inspire Challenge are important to help us to unlock the power of people, ideas, and science. Together, we can reimagine what’s possible and create a more positive world for tomorrow.”

Nine teams to face-off in Regional-Level Finals

The 3M Inspire Challenge 2022 will culminate in an intense final round of live pitching on 15th November. Nine teams will present their refined ideas in hopes of winning over an impressive panel of leading subject matter experts.

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