Three year 9 students from St Luke’s Anglican School have won the 2025 Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards, aimed at nurturing and encouraging student innovation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The winning student group, Eli, Elieahn and Zain, developed ‘Thryve’, a wellbeing app that helps users improve their mental, physical, emotional and social health.
Bundaberg Regional Council partnered with Telstra, higher education organisations and local businesses to provide mentoring and guidance to the students throughout the program.
Mayor Helen Blackburn said the competition was a wonderful way to celebrate the creativity and determination of local young innovators.
“The students’ commitment to tackling important issues like wellbeing through technology is inspiring and reflects the future of STEM innovation in our region,” she said.
“We are proud to support these students through mentoring and partnerships that help bring their ideas to life and encourage a bright future for our community.
“Congratulations Eli, Elieahn and Zain on your winning idea!”
Eli said he valued the mentoring opportunities the award scheme offered.
“When we entered, our team was primarily interested in the mentoring sessions, which exceeded our expectations by extensively conveying key aspects of starting, developing and growing a business,” Eli said.
“I was also highly motivated by the additional mentoring that was offered to the winning team to refine and launch their concept.”
Elieahn said winning this year’s award gave the students the opportunity to take their idea further.
“I entered the Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards because I saw the opportunity to learn more about entrepreneurship and further broaden my skills, which I’d like to take with me later on in life,” Elieahn said.
“The amount of hours we put in after-school and on the weekends; to know that it was all worth it, is the best feeling in the world.
“Knowing that we are going to be mentored by QUT is so exciting, and we all can’t wait to further develop our idea.”
As their project for the award, the group wanted to develop a tool to help people break addictions and create new, healthier lifestyles.
“Our team recognised internet overuse and unhealthy physical, mental and social lifestyles as profound issues in today’s world,” Eli said.
“We collaborated to create and build the concept of Thryve as an easy-to-reach app to solve these problems and others like them, ultimately guiding users towards increasingly healthier and happier lifestyles.
“Our team is eager to see the idea through, and winning the Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards establishes a base for us to build the concept from the ground up.”
Elieahn said he would encourage other students to get involved in the awards.
“Although we put in so many hours, I really recommend giving it a go because some of the skills we learnt during the mentoring sessions are amazing, and we didn’t have to win anything to get those,” Elieahn said.
The Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards began in term one of school and culminated in a final pitch to the judges and award ceremony at the Bundaberg Multiplex Sport and Convention Centre.
Partnering businesses in this year’s awards were CQUniversity, Community Lifestyle Support, Queensland Computers, Ulton, QUT, Regional Business HQ, Tafe Queensland and The Generator Bundaberg.
Find out more about the Mayor’s Telstra Innovation Awards on Council’s website here.
