On May 15th, the third national Ingenious+ youth innovation awards ceremony took place at Ingenium’s Digital Innovation Lab in Ottawa. The ceremony celebrated the challenge’s eight national finalists and five national winners. From advancements in drone technology to agricultural applications, these industrious youth have proved to be brilliant examples of Canada’s passion for innovation. The national event marked the culmination of months-long celebrations of innovation at the community level, including six regional ceremonies held across the country in partnership with the vice-regal community.
Powered by the Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF), the Ingenious+ challenge gives youth in Canada aged 14 to 18 the opportunity to innovate for good, and to share strategies for improving our world. In her opening speech at the event, Teresa Marques, President and CEO of RHF, expressed that the ceremony served as “a wonderful opportunity to recognize the creativity, ingenuity, and enthusiasm of young Canadians, and the ways in which innovation can help to make our communities, our provinces and territories, and our country a better place”.
This year’s national winners of the Ingenious+ Youth Innovation Challenge are:
Natalie Mitchell - NL
Equity and Inclusion
Innovation – Tech for Community, a youth-led organization that adapts toys for children with dexterity challenges
Yasmine Ben Arous - QC
Community and Civic Engagement
Innovation – Calmos, an artificial intelligence web and mobile application that helps anticipate and prevent anxiety attacks
Kendra Nayanka - ON
Health and Well-being
Innovation: Portable and Individualized Air Quality Monitor for Outdoors and Wildfires
Yurui Qin - SK
Climate Change and the Environment
Innovation – AI-QUA Savior: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Subaquatic Rescue Operations
Liam Pope-Lau - BC
Technology and Entrepreneurship
Innovation – LifeHeat: The Self-Heating Survival Pack that Works in Water
“There have been so many improvements [within our communities], but we also want to see what can be improved even more!”
Kendra Nayanka, Ingenious+ 2024 National Winner
After each national finalist and winner received an Ingenious+ certificate, the ceremony included a panel discussion with the five national winners who discussed their innovations and aspirations in more depth, as well as the passion for making change felt by their generation. When addressing the growing multitude of passionate youth creators in Canada, national winner Kendra Nayanka expressed how “there have been so many improvements [within our communities], but we also want to see what can be improved even more! I can confidently say that everyone here created something for the betterment of society”.
The event’s guest speaker, Christian Bagg, is a recipient of the 2024 Governor General Innovation Awards for his innovation the Bowhead Reach, an adaptive bike tailored to enable individuals with disabilities to explore the outdoors independently. When discussing the importance of the social connection behind innovation, he noted that one of the most salient driving forces behind an invention is “how important it is within your community and to other people”. Following this insightful conversion, Melissa Allen, Executive Director of League of Innovators, provided high-level mentorship to the finalists and winners.
After an incredible day of recognition of innovation, the RHF would like to thank everyone involved in making the Ingenious+ program and events possible throughout these past years, including its official partner the League of Innovators as well as its generous supporters, the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation, the Barrett Family Foundation, Donald K. Johnson, O.C., Jackman Foundation, Power Corporation of Canada, the Taylor Family Foundation, and Thomson Reuters.
To learn more about the winners, finalists, and their innovations, visit the Ingenious+ Submission Gallery. To watch the complete livestream of the ceremony, check out the RHF’s Youtube channel.
