Get Involved | western australia Challenge (August 31st – September 4th 2026)
Western Australia Challenge. Open to all schools across WA.
The illuminate Western Australia Challenge runs from Monday, August 31st to Friday, September 4th 2026 . Teams can compete in person at Murdoch University or virtually from anywhere in Western Australia.
Presented by illuminate Education Australia as part of our social impact in Association with Murdoch University.
About the program
The illuminate Challenge – delivered across Western Australia, at Murdoch University or virtually from anywhere is WA.
illuminate Education Australia in association with Murdoch University are bringing the illuminate Challenge to schools across Western Australia from August 31st to September 4th 2026 – with the flexibility to participate in person at Murdoch University or virtually from anywhere is Western Australia. Schools choose the format that works best for their students and their community.
The Western Australia Challenge is part of illuminate’s social enterprise commitment to ensuring every young Australian – wherever they live and whatever school they attend – has access to the kind of learning that builds real capability and real confidence. Participating schools join a national cohort working on the same challenge brief, building the same capabilities and competing in the same final event.
At the end of the challenge (September 4th), every participating school comes together for the Western Australia Final Day – a live pitching event where teams present their work to a state-wide panel. Teams can pitch in person at Murdoch University or Virtually from anywhere in Western Australia.
To close out the Challenge, illuminate Education Australia will be hosting a live virtual Awards Ceremony to announce the 2026 Western Australia winning teams, include the Western Australia Overall Best Solution for 2026, which includes an invitation to the illuminate Education Australia National Finals Day.
Along with Murdoch University, we are excited to see the amazing things your students will design.
Important Details
When: Monday, August 31st to Friday, September 4th, 2026, running from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm daily.
Where: In person at Murdoch University where teams compete on campus on Monday, Tuesday and Friday, and virtually from their respective schools on Wednesday and Thursday, fully virtually from anywhere in Australia or a combination of in person and virtually.
Year levels: Years 7–12
Final Presentation Day: Friday, September 4th is the final day of the challenge, teams pitch their final solutions and are welcome to participate in a Demonstration Hall showing at Murdoch University.
Open to: All schools, students and young people across Western Australia. This program is perfect for home school communities, remote high schools to access this, community groups looking to upskill their young people, and for schools looking to offer an engaging and authentic extension activity – but everyone can participate!
Cost: Based on time of registration, but early bird registration is $40 per team (of 5 – 7 students) which covers the cost of materials and postage.
Flexibility to suit you and your young people
Two ways to deliver – choose what works for your school.
To help as many young people involved as possible, we’ve broken down the structure of the illuminate Challenge for our Western Australia program. Throughout each option, teams will be supported through our digital collaboration platform, have access to all resources and content, and be able to schedule mentoring calls across the challenge experience – with the specific timing designed to fit as follows;
Option A: In Person Intensive Delivery at Murdoch University
This style of delivery matches closely to our facilitated program, where teams complete all of the activities and tasks in an intensive format. Completed over about 20 hours, this fits well into a four day period with everything prepared to then join the final day that is scheduled in your time zone. While it is ideal to line up the week with the finals day experience available in your local area, so that the teams complete the week with this exciting session, we know the juggle of school calendars, so it can be scheduled at any time before the final day.
For our Western Australian Schools, we will be delivering our week-long program from Murdoch University from Monday August 31 to Friday September 04 if you want to join us in person.
Option B: Term Long Delivery
Using illuminateX resources, teams work through the full six-stage process across the term in the classroom. Teacher-led and fully supported by our team. All materials included. Again using the guide of delivering everything over a 20 hour period, this allows for two hours a week across a term – whether it is done during lesson time, after school in a youth leadership or extension setting, or event at lunchtime. And with everything else we do, our team is to help you out in scheduling this and making it work – so please just ask when you register and we can talk more.
Finals Day Session
At the end of Term 3, every participating school comes together for the National Final Day – a live pitching event where teams present their work to a national panel of judges, and get to hear from others that have participated in the program alongside them, as well as complete some other final activities. Participation and final elements will be confirmed with registered schools, however these will be scheduled for Friday in September 2026, with two options to allow for participation from schools in Eastern and Central Australia, and then a second for Western Australian schools.
Why this program exists
Delivered as part of illuminate’s social enterprise commitment – not a commercial initiative.
The National Challenge is part of illuminate’s commitment as a verified social enterprise to ensuring that access to intensive, evidence-based capability building is not limited by geography, school resources or postcode. A school in regional Queensland and a school in suburban Melbourne participate on the same terms, in the same challenge, competing on the same final day.
illuminate is independently verified by People & Planet First and certified by Social Traders. The majority of any surplus is reinvested towards illuminate’s social purpose – and the National Challenge is one of the direct expressions of that purpose.