This is your online hub for the MacIntyre Wind Farm Shark Tank Problem Solving Event 2024, where you can manage your proposal submission

On this page, you can:

1. Find tips for a successful proposal
2. Upload your proposal
3. Share your progress
4. Find important dates
5. Contact project support

ACCIONA Energía invites school students and young innovators to present their ideas solving real life problems in a shark tank competition. The MacIntyre Wind Farm Shark Tank Problem Solving Event provides an opportunity for young people to showcase their problem solving skills and creativity, while also learning about the importance of sustainability, renewables, recycling, environmental issues, and climate change.

Working closely with students and school staff, ACCIONA Energía will provide support to ensure all submissions are guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and assist students in refining their proposals. Along with mentoring from experts in related fields, the winning team of this competition will receive up to $2,000 to help bring their idea to life.

All selected finalists will be invited to ACCIONA Energía's MacIntyre Wind Farm Shark Tank Pitch Night on 23 November 2023 for Goondiwindi participants and 24 November 2023 for Southern Downs participants. More details to follow.

Eligibility Criteria

• Must be high school aged
• Must be local to the Southern Downs or Goondiwindi Region

How to participate

Step 1: Complete our Media Consent form here and submit it with your project proposal by 1 March 2024.

Step 2: Submit your project proposal (must not exceed 1,000-word limit) with a short 1-minute video pitch via our online submission form below.

Step 3: If your proposal has been accepted, you will be invited to present a four-minute presentation on the problem you are solving by yourself or as a group at the ACCIONA Energía's MacIntyre Wind Farm Shark Tank Pitch Night (details below).

Step 4: Complete a Halfway Check In Point Survey below by 3 May 2024.

Step 5: Provide us with a project summary of your solution (not exceed 1,000-word limit) via the below project summary form by 7 June 2024.

Step 6: Attend our ACCIONA Energía's MacIntyre Wind Farm Shark Tank Pitch Night to present your project on 13 June 2024 (Goondiwindi) and 14 June 2024 (Warwick).

Step 7: Complete a feedback survey to ACCIONA Energía on the project and what we can do better in future programs.

Share your progress

Use the tool below to share updates and photos of your project with us, and the other participants.

A few tips

The challenge is designed to test your ability to gather and process information, as well as your critical thinking and creativity. On top of that, it gives you the opportunity to experience first-hand what a career in STEM and the renewables industry is like.

The best problem-solving approach to use is:

• Obtain background knowledge
  The first step is to obtain background knowledge in your field of interest. This provides the researcher with an overview of the field, including the current products on the market, and the challenges that need to be solved.

• Formulate research question
  The second step is to formulate a research question – usually, this involves the formation of an idea or concept which has the potential to address one or more of the challenges identified in the first step.
• Carry out research
  The third step is to carry out research to provide evidence that the idea or concept can indeed address the challenge(s) in the field. This involves following an intensive design process by which the idea is constantly tested, modified, and re-tested until the most suitable iteration is found.
• Present solution
  The final step is then to present the findings of the research, which involves showing off the innovation and how it is able to address the challenges in the field at the Shark tank presentation night.

Incentives

• The winning group will win $2,000
• ACCIONA Energía will invite well known Queensland business innovators to judge the event and determine the winner
• ACCIONA Energía will support the group to use their project to ensure Queensland wide innovation hackathons
• The school will gain $2,000 towards any STEM projects they wish to facilitate to further support their school
• The school and winning group will be showcased in a newspaper article.

Important dates

• Date proposals due: 1 March 2024

• Follow up to see if further support is required: 19 April 2024

• Follow up to see if further support is required: 3 May 2024

• Shark Tank Night: 13 June 2024 (Goondiwindi) / 14 June 2024 (Warwick) - more details soon!

Proposal submissions closed in August 2023.