Everything your team submits as part of the illuminate:nextgen Challenge is marked against the same set of seven (7) criteria, which has been developed alongside the core skills that the challenge is based upon. Depending on the task, the criteria has different weightings depending on the importance of that particular skill or knowledge for that task, so check the task outlines closely to see what the judges are looking for – and for major tasks, you can download judging rubrics to see what judges are expecting. The criteria are;

1. Strategy & Organisation
2. Research & Inquiry
3. Creativity & Innovation
4. Financial Interpretation
5. Communication
6. Use of Digital Technology
7. Real World Application

In every illuminate:nextgen Challenge, your Team Binder gives you information to prepare for every day, useful templates and much more – and while you are doing the program digitally, you will still find this document critical.

Below are links to download the templates from the Team Binder for the different tasks as well as the entire document;

• Virtual Binder
• Brainstorming
• Problem Frame
• Problem Research
• Team MOU
• Team Agenda
• Pressure Cooker

If your team is having an issue, work through these three things;

• Check the Resources website. This website has lots of information on it, so please check the task outlines for any assistance that is already provided.
• Check Collaborate. You might not be the only team asking this question – so check the recent conversations to see if your question has already been answered.
• Ask the Facilitators or on Collaborate. If you haven’t found the answer, please ask just ask the question. If you are asking online, please avoid using the direct message feature, as it is useful for other teams to know the answer too.

Organisation & Time Management are Critical

• Attend all sessions on time. Keep track of the time, and make sure you are ready for sessions when they begin to make the most of the information that is shared.
• Set how you work best. As the challenge progresses, you will be in charge of your own agenda. Consider how you can be productive and get the most out of every team member.
• Deadlines are strict. If your work is handed in after the deadline, it will get a zero mark. Make sure you plan ahead and keep accountable.
• Awards Ceremony. There is an awards ceremony at the end of the challenge, and it is a fantastic celebration of everything that you and your team has achieved. Make every attempt to be there.

Use the Resources Provided

• Use your Team Binder to help. The binder has checklists, outlines for some tasks, and helpful resources. Keep your materials together too within the binder – but don’t lose it!
• Use Collaborate. Collaborate is our online chat platform that we give access to all teams, to ask questions, get updates and provide assistance throughout the challenge.
• Use the Resources website. This website has task outlines, templates and much more – make the most of it as these will help you complete the challenge and stay on track.
• Use technology to access relevant information. You will need to complete research and access other websites to help – use technology productively to make the most of what you can access.

Behaviour Expectations

• Respect others – within your team, in the program and around us. This goes without saying, and while the challenge provides a different environment, school rules still apply.

This is the problem or central issue that each team’s solution has to address. Please read the Core Challenge carefully, as your business needs to meet this to be able to win major awards throughout the week.

Over the past decade our lives have been transitioning to be more reliant on digital platforms and technology, with the Australia workforce and all major industries following this transition. We have watched the digital age take hold across the economy and society, which has been occurring even more rapidly due to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, posing new challenges and amazing opportunities still to be explored

These circumstances pushed the development of digital platforms and technologies to an all new level as it was used as an engagement tool for families and communities to stay connected, in the detection and treatment of the pandemic, in education and as a vital communication tool for organisations and governments. While this rapid growth and dependence on digital platforms and technologies has allowed some organisations and industries to flourish and innovate, those left behind in this tech race are left with very few options for survival. With artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, the Internet of Things (IOT), robotics, drones, self-driving cars and wearables are just some of the ways that our economy is transitioning, there are so many new ways people and businesses can support and engage with their community.

Your challenge for the illuminate:nextgen Challenge is to look at a new opportunity for technology to be implemented in your community. This could be something that helps out the community, something businesses could use or something that helps residents of the region engage in technology. Your business needs to come up with a way to make money from the idea to make your business sustainable, can be replicated in other communities into the future, and must be viable to get investment and support to begin.

To fully outline your solution, your team must produce;

• a business case that justifies and explains your proposed solution,
• supporting financial information that proves the viability and benefit of the solution,
• a pitch deck presentation that gets key stakeholders and the community excited about your solution,
• a marketing campaign that outlines your thinking and creative approaches to promoting your solution,
• a demonstration site for your idea so people can experience a prototype of it for themselves,
• a number of problem-solving exercises throughout the challenge,
• and a number of other tasks to help set a strong foundation for the challenge.

Good luck!

Preparing your financial documents can be hard for most people – so illuminate Education have worked closely with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand (who are definitely the experts in this space!) to help you out.

There are video guides to help you prepare your financial statements with useful tips along the way that you can use as you develop your statements, as well as heaps of great resources that could help you open up some great career options.

All you need to do is click here and you’ll get access to the resources.