WA Students Win $35,000 In Prizes For Solving Real-World Problems With Dog Heat Alerts And Crab Sweepers

Five Western Australian public schools have been awarded more than $35,000 in prizes for developing innovative solutions to real-world problems, from overheating pets to migrating crabs.

Coodanup College students took out the top prize of $15,000 in the Minister’s Innovation Challenge 2025 for their Hotdog Lead, a dog leash featuring temperature-sensitive colour technology that provides a visual alert when dogs are at risk of overheating in hot weather.

“It is so important that students challenge themselves to think innovatively and creatively about solving real-world problems,” Education Minister Sabine Winton said.

The winning team demonstrated depth of thought in identifying customer needs and fears, and in creating a solution that directly addresses the problem of dogs overheating — a significant issue in Western Australia’s climate.

Champion Bay Senior High School students won second prize and $10,000 for designing an innovative plastic clip that attaches to bins, keeping lids shut to prevent wind-borne litter in residential areas. The team created a prototype using a 3D printer.

Conservation and safety solutions

Third prize of $5,000 went to Lakeland Senior High School students who developed Quenda Quest, an interactive conservation game designed to raise awareness about quenda welfare in their school community. The game teaches players how to protect quendas by exploring habitats, avoiding dangers, and learning real-world conservation tips through play.

Christmas Island District High School won fourth prize of $3,000 for designing a Crab Sweeper attachment that fits onto the front of vehicles to gently guide the island’s red crabs off roads without harming them. The simple, low-cost device is easy to install and remove, making it a quick and safe way to clear roads during the busy red crab migration season.

Denmark Senior High School received the fifth prize of $2,000 for creating a prototype of the Blaze Bag and accompanying app to increase bushfire preparedness. The solution makes fire evacuation preparation more accessible for people in bushfire-prone areas.

Winton added, “I want to extend my congratulations to Coodanup College’s students for winning this year’s Innovation Challenge with their thoughtful invention that would be of huge benefit to dogs and dog owners.”

“I also want to congratulate all the students who participated in the Challenge. I hope you take the skills you have learnt and apply them in other areas of your life.”

Programme details

This year, 41 teams of Year 8 students from Western Australian public schools participated in the Minister’s Innovation Challenge, now in its fourth year. The programme is facilitated by Bloom: The Centre for Youth Innovation, a youth-led, not-for-profit organisation that provides innovation programmes to young people.

Over a six-week period, school teams worked with industry mentors to identify local issues and applied design thinking processes to develop innovative solutions.

The top five winning teams were named during an online exhibition last week and were recognised for their problem-solving skills and creative approaches.