Apply to join the Term 1, 2026 Ideas Challenge

Applications have just opened for our Term 1, 2026 Ideas Challenge program, which is a free (fully-funded), online, extracurricular skills-building program run by Macquarie University Incubator and Young Wisdom for creative and innovative high school students. Any students who will be in Years 9-12 in 2026 can apply now.

💡If you're a young person with lots of ideas, or one particular idea to solve a problem you've noticed, then this program is for you!💡 

Ready to apply?

Go ahead and fill out our form here by 8pm on Friday 20 February 2026.

See the infographic below for all the key dates.

Please note: we are expecting a highly competitive application process, with a maximum of 50 teams being invited to participate (max. 5 teams per school). Keep reading so you can put together a strong application👇

Who is this for?

All high schoolers are welcome to apply, whether you're in Sydney or elsewhere in NSW. You don't need to think of yourself as a 'creative' or an 'entrepreneur' - just bring an idea to a real world problem and we'll help you explore how you might be able to take it further!

Along the way, you'll build skills and confidence that will help you throughout school, life and any future career, whether you end up working for someone else or yourself.

• What kind of idea? Any! You could be working on a new product or service, app or website, event or initiative - it's really up to you. We'll help you explore whether it's going to be an effective answer to your problem, and something you could deliver on an ongoing basis.
• What kind of problem? Again, any! You could be looking to solve a huge 'wicked problem' one step at a time, or just seeking to improve something in your own life, school, or local community. Whatever it is, it should be something you feel capable of addressing today.
• What kinds of skills? The list is long. Think problem solving, creative thinking, listening, empathy, business/project planning, design, and persuasive speaking (pitching) to name a few. These are life skills that definitely help entrepreneurs, but also students, employees, friends and family members to navigate life's challenges and opportunities more effectively.

What will we do?

We know students are incredibly busy with school work and assessments, not to mention all your other extracurriculars! We've designed a program that won't add too much to your plate, while also introducing you to entirely new concepts and the same professional coaching or mentoring we give to adult startup founders. 

Students who make it through the initial application will be invited to our Google Classroom for Term 1, where everything will be managed.

In the infographic below, you'll see the following event types with dates and times. Here we'll just quickly explain what each thing is:

• Resource drops?  We'll provide a bunch of optional reading/viewing on the module's topic, posted to our Google Classroom, which you could try to review before our live workshop where you'll get to work directly with teams of experts from Young Wisdom and the MQ Incubator.
• Workshops? Our live online workshops are an opportunity for you to chat with experienced startup coaches and creative professionals, and get to know some of the other students taking part in the program. These will be Q&A sessions where we present some theory on the module topic, but mostly answer questions (e.g. via Slido) and talk about your ideas.
• Assessments?😱 Our challenges can be taken as seriously as you wish, and we certainly don't want you to stress about them. We'll provide all kinds of support to ensure you get your work submitted on time. This is how you'll unlock badges (microcredentials) along the way.

For some students, the ultimate goal will be getting to present at the Term 1 Pitch Night at the stunning Macquarie University Incubator. To be in the running, you need to have unlocked all three assessment badges (and then make the finals according to our judging team). 

Hear all about the Term 3, 2025 Ideas Challenge:

Read the full write up about the Term 3, 2025 Ideas Challenge and see all the finalist bios here.

What do we get?

If your assessments pass muster with our educators, you'll unlock 3 different official microcredentials from Macquarie University Incubator and Young Wisdom on the way to Pitch Night:

• Planning: you were able to unpack and document your idea's 'business plan on a page' covering - among other things - the commercial considerations that will make your idea financially viable and sustainable
• Prototyping: you were able to create a visualisation (e.g. a sketch, mockup or working prototype) of your product idea, or the detailed features/packages that define your service/s (e.g. presented in the form of a branded brochure or simple website)
• Pitching: you were able to create an informative, engaging and persuasive speech about your idea, supported by effective visual aids, which can be used to raise awareness and build support for your idea from any audience

If you unlock all three badges, you're in the running to present at Pitch Night. It'll be up to our educators to choose the teams who will be pitching live on the night (you can pitch via Zoom if based outside of Sydney).

Those who make it to pitch night will receive additional expert pitch coaching, valuable real world feedback from audience members and judges, and compete for exciting prizes on the night!

Key Dates:

Ready to apply?

Go ahead and fill out our form here by 8pm on Friday 20 February.

If you have an idea in mind, don't hesitate - submit a quick response and we'll get back to you ASAP!

Have a question?

Email Young Wisdom on: hello@youngwisdom.com.au or Macquarie University Incubator on: incubator@mq.edu.au

If your question isn't personal and might help others too, feel free to post it as a comment here too👇