Published 19 November 2025
The winners of the Future Anything National Grand Final 2025 were crowned last night at an inspirational event at the State Library of Queensland in Brisbane, with a live audience of over 250 guests and hundreds more from around the world watching online.
Perfect Pitch
The culmination of Future Anything’s Activate program for 2025, the Future Anything National Grand Final showcased eight teams of school-age entrepreneurs from Queensland, South Australia, and New South Wales pitching their innovative, scalable, and sustainable ideas live on stage.
They then took on some super tough questions from judges Anthony Ryan (Chief Executive Officer, Brisbane Economic Development Agency), Dr Dimity Dornan (Co-Founder, Chair and Board Director, Bionics Gamechangers Australia & Hear and Say), and Nicole Forrester (Chief Regenerative Officer, WWF-Australia).
The top spot, Future Anything National Grand Final 2025 Winner, was taken out by EcoDrive (Loreto Kirribilli, NSW) following an incredible live pitch by founders Eliza and Mimey.
They have created a road safety system that uses motion-sensor posts and GPS alerts to reduce wildlife collisions by creating cautious drivers, protecting native animals and people.
EcoDrive received a prize package worth over $42,000 in funding and support to launch their idea into the real world. The impressive trophy was handed over by Alexander Kakagiannis, winner of last year’s Future Anything National Grand Final.
Never in the Rough (Ardrossan Area School, SA) was awarded the Runner Up spot with their bold, sustainable golf gear that’s impossible to lose, with profits funding men’s mental health and mateship.
Their long journey from regional SA (which started at 3am on Grand Final day!) was rewarded with a prize package worth over $19,000 in funding and support.
With their innovative dissolvable oral strips for chemotherapy patients to help either temporarily alter taste from sour to sweet, or to enhance flavours of meals, the Highly Commended spot went to Flavva (Marymount College, QLD).
On announcing the pitching winners, Nicole Forrester said “Congratulations to everyone who pitched, it was so incredible to hear you all. It really was a tough decision to find light between eight incredible teams, who brought such passion, potential and purpose.”
Showcase Success
In addition to the pitches, a further twenty-two teams took part in the Future Anything National Grand Final 2025 in the buzzing Showcase Expo.
Showcase judges Dominique Lamb (Director of Community Affairs, Brisbane 2032), Adele Laughton (CEO, Queensland Social Enterprise Council), Alysha McNutt & Anvita Panabakam (EduGo & Kenmore SHS) faced the tough task of selecting the showcase winners. It was a full-circle moment for Alysha and Anvita, who returned to the stage a year after taking out the top spot at the National Grand Final 2024 Showcase themselves.
Deduction Dungeon from Investigator College (SA) was awarded top showcase spot as Future Anything National Grand Final Showcase Winner 2025.
Founder Zen has created an app that turns doing your taxes into a videogame, solving the (very real) problem of taxes being boring, making the process more engaging by turning it into a game.
Taking out the Showcase Runner Up spot was The Fishmobile from Matthew Flinders Anglican College (QLD). Made from recycled plastic, bamboo, bamboo fibre, and aluminium, The Fishmobile is a trailer that attaches to your bike, making it easier to carry all your equipment to the beach.
The People’s Choice is always a highlight of the Future Anything National Grand Final, with the venue audience given the opportunity to cast their vote for their top showcase team. Love-It Lock-It from Canterbury College (QLD) took out the People’s Vote with their portable jewellery holder that you clip onto your water bottle to hold your jewellery when you are playing sport.
Reflecting the breadth and depth of innovative products and services presented on the night, several other teams were also recognised by the judges in special categories. Zipzoom Tracks (St John Fisher College, QLD) was awarded the Showcase Innovation Award 2025, while #Heart Koala (Matthew Flinders Anglican College, QLD) took out the Showcase Sustainability Award 2025. The Showcase Community Impact Award 2025 went to Mik (Queensland Academy for Health Sciences, QLD).
In a new category for 2025, #HeartKoala (Matthew Flinders Anglican College, QLD) took out the Showcase Hustle Award 2025, reflecting their achievement in driving the highest value of product sales on the night, generating sales of close to $400.
Launching ideas into the real world
As well as taking home cash prizes, the winning teams will also access a range of incredible prizes including mentoring, brand development, financial advice, and some exciting Discovery Days, all designed to help the young founders to develop their ideas and further their entrepreneurial ambitions.
The total prize pot was worth over $140,000 with the event generously supported by the Queensland Government, with prizes donated by a host of leading organisations and changemakers. Several winners also snagged a spot in the 2026 cohort of YouthX, Australia’s only startup accelerator for school-age entrepreneurs.
Enterprising Educators
Young people weren’t the only ones celebrated at the Future Anything National Grand Final 2025, with the teachers that have supported students on their Activate journeys also recognised in the Future Anything Educator Awards.
Matt Veprek (Salisbury East High School, SA) was recognised as Trailblazer of the Year 2025, an award celebrating the impact of a first-year teacher of Future Anything’s award-wining Activate in-curriculum program, with the incredible team from Canterbury College (QLD) picking up the award for Team of the Year 2025.
The prestigious Cally Neilsen Educator of the Year Award 2025, recognising the impact of an experienced Activate teacher, went to Alexia Little (Cardijn College, SA), whose work through Future Anything’s Activate program has transformed learning culture in science at Cardjin College.
This award was recently renamed in honour of Cally Neilsen, an inspiring science educator who passed away in 2025.
Reflecting on the Future Anything Educator Awards 2025, Nicole Dyson said
“Great teachers turn learning into a launchpad. The educators recognised tonight, indeed all the teacher we work with across the Future Anything community, are redefining what’s possible in classrooms across Australia. They’re creating spaces where young people can dream, and have the future capabilities that are vital to design and deliver real-world change.”
Five schools were also inducted into the Future Anything Hall of Fame, with this special award recognising their five-year commitment to Activate; embedding a generational approach to catalysing enterprising mindsets in their schools. The 2025 Future Anything Hall of Fame inductees were:
- Canterbury College
- Emerald State High School
- Fairholme College
- Kenmore State High School
- St Catherine’s Catholic College
Nicole Dyson said “Our National Grand Final is the ultimate celebration of what happens when we unleash passion, potential, and agency in every classroom. These young people have shown that when students are given the opportunity to explore problems they care about and create real-world solutions, they don’t just learn — they lead.”
The Future Anything National Grand Final 2025 brought the curtain down on Future Anything’s Activate program. This award-winning program has undergone a ‘glow up’ and from 2026, it will be called the The [X] Challenge. Registrations are now open.
THANK YOU
Huge thank you to all the partners, sponsors, educators and students who make this event possible.
Major Partner
Prize Sponsors
