Caption: EWB Challenge finalists preparing their presentation at the 2023 EWB Challenge Showcase held in Cairns.
Each year, the EWB Challenge Showcase brings together top university student teams from across the country. Students present the most innovative, community-centred design ideas developed in response to the EWB Challenge Design Brief, and all event participants celebrate a year of learning, focused work, and collaboration.
This year’s EWB Challenge Showcase saw students, academics, judges, and EWB staff from across Australia, New Zealand and Cambodia travel to James Cook University’s Nguma-bada campus in far north Queensland to celebrate their designs. Students and academics were also able to participate in workshops designed by EWB to enrich participator design skills, as well as cross-cultural learnings.
It was the first time in EWB Challenge history that students responded to one of two different community contexts; a First Nations context in Australia with Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation, and a Mondulkiri context in Cambodia, in partnership with the EWB Australia team in Cambodia. With representatives from both community partners present at the Showcase, it was a particularly enriching experience for students who had taken into consideration the community contexts in their projects throughout the year.
Judges listening to a pitch addressing the First Nations context at the EWB Challenge Showcase.
2023 Award Winners
Students who participated in the 2023 EWB Challenge developed design proposals addressing a variety of themes including but not limited to: Information and Communication Technology, Energy, Waste management and Water management.
Judges from Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation and EWB Australia in Cambodia were very impressed with the finalist pitches. Congratulations to the following award winners:
- Showcase Pitch Award – First Nations context: University of Western Australia – Modular container system
- Community Partner Award – First Nations context: Curtin University – Solution to Bush Tucker Degeneration
- Showcase Pitch Award – Cambodia context: Canterbury University – Producing waste bricks as a solution to the waste management problem in Pu Ngaol, Cambodia
- Community Partner Award – Cambodia context: Auckland University of Technology – Infrastructure to enable safe river access
- Best Stall Award: Curtin University – Solution to Bush Tucker Degeneration
- Industry Reviewer Award: RMIT – Ground water detection system to aid in flood response
A big congratulations to the award winners for 2023 and thank you to all the finalists!
Finalists from the University of Western Australia, who took home the Showcase Pitch award – First Nations context
EWB Australia would like to acknowledge the Yirrganydji traditional owners and thank Dawul Wuru, their staff and partners who have shared so much with us to inform the 2023 EWB Challenge brief. EWB Australia also like to thank RS Group, who sponsored the 2023 EWB Challenge, and James Cook University for hosting the 2023 EWB Challenge Showcase.
The EWB Challenge is delivered as part of the EWB Challenge Series, EWB’s real-world curriculum-integrated university education programs. Learn more about the EWB Challenge here.