GREATER Springfield’s next generation of visionaries is already helping shape the city’s future, with young innovators unveiling bold ideas to transform their community through the 2026 Maha Sinnathamby Ideas & Imagination Awards.
Hosted by Springfield City Group, the annual competition challenged students from Prep to Year 12 to reimagine their city through four key themes: sustainability, health and wellbeing, innovation and smart economy, and creativity.
Springfield City Group founder and chairman Maha Sinnathamby said the quality of submissions continued to reach new heights.
“Education is the currency of the future and every transformative shift starts with a single, courageous idea,” Mr Sinnathamby said.
Speaking exclusively with Local Ipswich News, Springfield City Group Education Division head and Mr Sinnathamby’s daughter, Meera Honan, said the awards had grown from a modest initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic into an important platform giving young people a direct voice in their city’s development.
Among this year’s youngest winners was Vairaj Madan, whose Smile Project proposed encouraging handmade cards to brighten the days of aged care residents and hospital patients.
Upper primary winners Hayley Brown and Emily Tieu impressed judges with their Smart Spring Lamp, a multipurpose infrastructure concept designed to improve community safety and connectivity.
Lower secondary winner Arpan Sandhu developed Springfield Eco Rewards, an initiative allowing residents to earn retail incentives and discounts at local businesses for environmentally friendly activities, including recycling and active transport.
Upper secondary winners Ayaana Soni and Riya Gajurel focused on the power of human connection through The Exchange, a community initiative encouraging residents to share knowledge, teach practical skills and learn from one another.
At the core of the region’s Education Division is the Learning Coalition, bringing together principals from Greater Springfield’s 12 schools to collaborate on educational opportunities, share ideas and strengthen connections between students, educators and the wider community.
Today, Greater Springfield boasts 12 schools, 22 childcare centres, a university presence, TAFE and alternative vocational training pathways, creating an education network supporting students from early childhood through to employment.
Ms Honan said one of the most significant achievements was seeing young people become the first in their families to pursue tertiary education.
“It’s really, really rewarding that we’ve basically created a demographic who now value education,” she said.
