Victorian students reach for the stars at Kids in Space Showcase

Some of Victoria’s brightest young innovators have been recognised at the 2026 Andy Thomas Space Foundation’s Kids in Space Victoria Showcase, with students from 16 schools presenting 39 projects that combined creativity, STEM and design thinking to solve challenges on Earth and beyond.

Supported by the Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) and delivered by Makers Empire, the program challenges primary school students to explore real-world problems through space-inspired innovation.

Over the past two terms, students applied design thinking, STEM and emerging technologies including 3D printing to respond to the challenge:

“Design something that might help astronauts to work and live in space or use space technologies to design something that will help solve a problem on Earth.”

The showcase, held at North Melbourne Primary School’s Molesworth Street Campus, celebrated the achievements of participating students and provided an opportunity for teams to present their solutions to peers, educators and industry judges.

Victorian Winners

Industry Winner: St Cecilia’s Catholic Primary School (Project: Aqua Bank)
Community Award: Highton Primary School (Project: AI in Medicine + Robotics)
Peer’s Choice Award: St. Francis of Assisi Primary School (Project: Pollination) and Mulgrave Primary School (Project: O-Maze Space)

The winning team will now represent Victoria at the national Kids in Space Showcase at the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide later this year.

AMCRC Managing Director Simon Marriott said the showcase demonstrated the importance of inspiring young Australians to explore STEM, engineering and advanced manufacturing from an early age.

“The creativity, talent and enthusiasm on display today was incredibly inspiring,” said Mr Marriott.

“These students have shown remarkable imagination and problem-solving ability. Programs like Kids in Space help build the confidence, curiosity and skills that will be essential for Australia’s future workforce and future industries.”

Makers Empire Co-founder and CEO Jon Soong said the quality of ideas presented at the showcase was a testament to the capability of young Australians.

“The creativity and talent in the room today was remarkable,” said Mr Soong.

“Students tackled complex challenges with imagination, confidence and determination. It’s inspiring to see young people applying design thinking and technology to create innovative solutions that could make a real difference on Earth and beyond.”

Since its launch, Kids in Space has engaged more than 300 schools, 800 teachers and 30,000 students across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia, helping inspire the next generation of innovators through real-world STEM learning.

By supporting initiatives such as Kids in Space, AMCRC is helping build awareness of advanced manufacturing and the exciting career opportunities that will drive Australia’s future innovation economy.