About the Game Changer Awards

The Game Changer Awards were created in 2016 by WAITTA to encourage more young people into STEM careers.

The first awards were a proof of concept, with only a handful of schools taking part. Students and teachers found the program rewarding, engaging and fun, and it was a resounding success.

• By 2018 and 2019, the Awards had grown to more than 50 teams from across Perth and regional Western Australia.
• In 2020, the program moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has kept growing ever since.
• In 2023, we received 72 project submissions from around 192 students.

• The 9th Game Changer Awards, held in November 2024, marked a turning point.
• Entries jumped 62% to 120 projects from 16 schools.
• The event brought together 440 students, 90 industry judges and more than 700 people.
• Teams came from the Peel region, from neurodiverse groups and from low socioeconomic communities.
• We also piloted the first Mini Game Changer Awards, which brought the program directly into a school.

• In 2025, the Awards celebrated 10 years with their biggest year yet.
• We received 200 project submissions from 766 students across 25 schools, supported by 95 industry judges and 40 volunteers.
• We launched the Game Changer Academy, helping educators from 26 schools bring design thinking into their classrooms.
• Mini Game Changer Awards events expanded to eight schools.
• Finalist teams went on to pitch at West Tech Fest’s Young Entrepreneurs Showcase and attend the WiTWA Tech [+] Conference, which connected their classroom ideas with WA’s tech industry.