Aquinas students have again proved their problem-solving prowess, dominating the finalist list for this year’s yia! Young Innovator Awards.

Eight Aquinas teams have made the final for the Western BOP competition, including a Year 7 group selected for their first-ever yia! entry. To be named a finalist in their first year of yia! competition is a special achievement.

Aquinas teams represent five of the nine intermediate finalists and three of the 11 senior teams shortlisted for the awards. Entrants were challenged to devise an innovative product or service. The Aquinas entries include a Google Chrome extension for correcting words that should have macrons; an App to help purchasers find products with less plastic and plastic packaging; and a medical ID wristband that uses NFC technology to transmit patient medical data to paramedics.

A panel of top local innovators and international guest judges will decide the winners, to be announced tomorrow (Sept. 1). The finalists can be viewed at https://www.yia.co.nz/finalists/intermediate

Congratulations to our Aquinas finalists:

Intermediate Finalists

Y7: Macron Me (Lachlan Talbot, Colby Thompson and Francis Markham)

Y8: Meet.A.Friend (Elia Szulakowski, Ivy Barrett-Hodgson)

Y8: Shopping Health (Hazra Shifa Syed, Olivia Kerr and Sarah Dunne)

Y8: The GFE - Goodbye Fire Extinguisher (Thomas Magill)

Y8: Toothwise (Alba Richardson, Ellie Cope and Jenna Arrowsmith)

Senior Finalists

Y11: EcoLocation (Erin Moore and Holly van den Borst)

Y13: Thermofi (Christopher Addidle and Jaspar Collins)

Y13: MaiBand (Kalarn Mark and Daniel Evans)