The global challenge of ensuring healthy lives for all, at all ages is this year’s wicked problem in the department’s annual Game Changer Challenge which started its first virtual semifinal event today.

A total of 120 teams from public schools across NSW will participate in five virtual semifinal events over the next two weeks.

“The Game Changer Challenge is a powerful way to develop critical thinking, collaboration, empathy and creativity. The challenge ensures our young people are equipped with the skills they need for future jobs,” Georgina Harrisson, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, said.

Open to all NSW public schools, the annual design-thinking challenge provides primary and secondary students with the opportunity to apply their knowledge and skills to solving a real-world ‘wicked’ problem, translating learning from the classroom into a real-life context.

This year’s theme – ensuring healthy lives for all, at all ages – has been developed from the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

A panel of industry experts will judge live pitch sessions at each semifinal to decide the teams progressing to the grand final in Term 4. The teams selected to participate in the next round will be announced on 18 August.

With strong links to curriculum objectives, the Game Changer Challenge improves educational outcomes for students, by encouraging the interdisciplinary application of subject content to real-world problems, resulting in the 2021 Premier’s Award for Best Quality Education.

The 2022 Game Changer Challenge is proudly supported by: ABC, Adobe, Amazon Web Services, ASPECT Studios, Canva, Education Perfect, EY, Food Ladder, Google, Grok Academy, HP, Lumination, Microsoft, Mott MacDonald, Palo IT, PwC, Rothfield, TOMRA Cleanaway, UNSW, UTS, and Winc.