After a 2 year hiatus due to the global pandemic, the Energy Breakthrough program returned in 2022. This year’s event was a huge success, with 4,600 participants, including students, teachers, families and volunteers all gathering in Maryborough to participate in the event.
Energy Breakthrough took place from 16 – 20 November at Princes Park, Maryborough. The atmosphere was electric as you walked into the event and the excitement continued over the next five action-packed days, as students, teachers and parents worked together to assemble their vehicles and race to the finish line. The event saw 4,600 participants and their families gather in Maryborough to participate and contributed over $3.3 million to the local economy.
Each day consisted of new events and presented new challenges. Teams could choose to compete in the following categories: Junkyard Challenge, Pushcarts, TRYathlon, Robotics, Human Powered Vehicles and Energy Efficient Vehicles. Students were required to complete three assessments: Display & Presentation; Design & Construction and then the Trial. This ensured that students experience the full educational benefits of the program and ensured that all schools – whether from rural, regional or city backgrounds – had a chance to compete on an even playing field.
As with any outdoor event, participants were hoping for blue skies, unfortunately, this was not the case for the entirety of the five days, with a massive thunderstorm hitting on Saturday afternoon. Participants, families, teachers and volunteers dealt with 100kmh+ winds resulting in a temporary total site evacuation. Monitoring 2500+ students, and relocating 77 school campsites (twice) in the midst of a storm is certainly not an easy feat, but volunteers and officials pulled together to keep students safe and spirit high until they could return safely to the racetrack. We commend everyone involved in the evacuation and relocation for such an amazing effort.
5 hours later students were relocated and the race was on again! The rest of the event played out with blue skies, unfaltering enthusiasm from students, teachers and volunteers alike and some fantastic examples of innovative technology proudly on display.
Co-founded by the Country Education Project (CEP) in 1991, the Energy Breakthrough program has continued through a long-running partnership with the Central Goldfields Shire Council (CGSC). The event provides an opportunity for students, teachers and parents to work together designing and constructing a vehicle that represents an ‘energy breakthrough’. The event brings schools and families from all over the VIC, (and even some from NSW and SA) together, to participate in some friendly competition. With a range of categories open to schools and a category specifically for schools with 200 students or less, there is something for everyone to be involved in.
Click on the map to view the range of schools that came together and competed in Energy Breakthrough 2022.
Head to the Energy Breakthrough website or social media to see more coverage of the event and stay up to date with the latest Energy Breakthrough news.
Contact Nigel Preston, CEP’s Energy Breakthrough Education Team Leader, to find out how your school can get involved in 2023 via nigelp@eb.org.au
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