Wales’ future inventors recognised at 21st annual Innovation Awards

Budding inventors from across Wales were recognised for their exceptional creations at this year’s WJEC Innovation Awards ceremony at the Pierhead Building.

Welsh inventors have been instrumental in bringing the world some of its most game-changing inventions including the modern microphone, X-ray and radar technology. The annual Innovation Awards, in partnership with the Welsh Government, aims to encourage future generations to continue this legacy by challenging the design of everyday products and services, and finding innovative solutions to problems we face each day.

Q Misell, 16, from Ysgol Bro Edern in Penylan won the GCSE prize for their smart recycling bin, which allowed people to scan the barcode on their rubbish to see which recycling bin they should use.

Q said: “Given the climate emergency we’re in, I knew straight away that I wanted to create something which would help people protect our environment.

“It bothered me that recycling can be confusing to people who didn’t know what they could or couldn’t recycle in their local council, and I felt like it could risk putting some people off recycling altogether. Labels may say ‘widely recycled’, but many people aren’t sure how they’re supposed to recycle different materials.

“To try and solve this, I went through extensive research and created a database of objects such as plastic bottles, tin cans and packaging, making a note of each individual barcode.

“I then fitted an old webcam to a smart screen, and coded the two of them to read the barcode, show the user which bin their object should go into by writing appearing on the screen, and I also wired the device up to some lights so that the corresponding section of the bin would flash.”

Other awards went to Jack Hughson for his Fencing Pro device to help farmers be more efficient, Q Misell for their ingenious recycling bin design, Morgan Rhys Clewer-Evans for his farmgate safety device and Amy Owen for her interactive activity book encouraging young people to grow sunflowers.

This year’s awards ceremony at The Pierhead Building was attended by students, parents and teachers who came along to see the most original project work by students studying Design and Technology at GCSE, AS and A level.

WJEC chief executive, Ian Morgan, said: “Each young person who entered these awards has shown incredible hard work and dedication in developing these innovative ideas and bringing them to life. Every single person who has been shortlisted here today should be immensely proud of their achievement.

“These young people will be the next generation of inventors and problem solvers meeting challenges of the future. Their unique ability to think outside the box, and develop creative solutions to everyday problems, is a vital skill and one Wales needs to remain competitive on.

“I’m sure these are just the first of many exciting achievements to come for Q and all the other winners and young people shortlisted here today. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for each of them.”

The Innovation Awards is an annual competition partly funded by the Welsh Government. The ceremony was hosted by Kirsty Williams, the Minister for Education, who said:

“I’m really pleased to present the Student Innovation Awards again this year.

“The high standards of entries are fine examples of what Wales can achieve through science, technology and innovation. The awards showcase the talent, the enthusiasm and the commitment of our young people across Wales.”

“Congratulations to everyone who made it to the finals!”

For further information about the competition visit www.wjec.co.uk or contact jonathan.thomas@wjec.co.uk.

ENDS