The Big Competition for Inventive Little Kids

Do you know what plastic banknotes, wi-fi and the bionic ear (cochlear implants) all have in common? They’re all Australian inventions! Meanwhile, trampolines, icy poles and braille were all invented by kids.

The Origin Energy Little Big Ideas Competition taps into kid’s creative and intuitive energy. Primary school-aged kids with big ideas can enter and be in the running to win a prize, such as $10,000 or a trip to the USA, including NASA and Disneyland that has been offered in the past.

The two winning ideas from 2020 are:

Kick Me pedestrian crossing button

An idea from 8 year old Grace, the 'Kick Me' pedestrian crossing button is to be installed at pedestrian crossings at the bottom of the pole. This makes it easy for pedestrians to hit the button with their foot instead of using their hands, reducing the risk of COVID-19.

Band-Mate

14 year old Akshay came up with the idea of the Band-Mate. It is a band with colour changing paint which is designed to tell the wearer if they are fighting an infection or have healed by the change in skin temperature. It is estimated to be very cost efficient, costing just 30 to 40 cents per band to manufacture.

Little Big IDEAS