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Australia’s Premier STEM Mission

EMERGENCY PROTOCOL 2026:
THE HIGHWAY COLLAPSE

A massive geotechnical failure has severed a critical transport route. Students across Australia are invited to design coding, robotics, and AI solutions for rescue, logistics, safety, and recovery.

🎓 School Group Entry
🔰 Beginner to Advanced
🏢 Bulk Registration Supported
🏅 Medals & Trophies

8,000+
Schools Contacted

1,500+
Showed Interest

900+
Student Participants

180+
Award Recipients

300+
Female Participants

200+
Low-SES Supported

Why It Matters

More Than a Themed Competition

This is applied STEM through meaningful, real-world engineering problem solving.

The Crisis

  • ⚠️ Mountain Route Collapse: Major geotechnical failure at Victoria Pass.
  • 🚧 Disrupted Access: Over 11,000 vehicles halted daily.
  • 🏥 Isolated Communities: Urgent need for supplies and coordination.
  • 🚁 Logistics Challenge: Rescue operations require immediate tech support.

Your Role

You are no longer just students. In this mission, you become the rapid-response innovators the community desperately needs.

💻 Coders
🤖 Robot Designers
🧠 AI Problem Solvers
👷 Engineers

A Message to Student Innovators

Young innovators matter. The bold ideas you create today using creativity and engineering thinking are incredibly valuable. We encourage you to push boundaries, learn deeply, and remember that participation itself is a massive step toward becoming the leaders of tomorrow.

U
UNSW Built Environment
Official Host & Supporter

Student Experience

Why You’ll Want to Take on the Mission

It’s not just a worksheet. It is an opportunity to prove your skills on a national stage.

🎮

Be the Creator

Don’t just play games—build your own interactive app, robot, or AI tool from the ground up.

🌍

Real-World Impact

Solve an actual, meaningful mission. See how technology directly responds to human crises.

🏫

Rep Your School

Submit your boldest ideas and proudly represent your school’s talent on an Australia-wide platform.

🏆

Earn the Glory

Gain national recognition. Top innovators earn medals, physical trophies, and verified certificates.

The Pathways

Choose Your Specialization

Whether you are writing your first line of code or building an AI drone, there is a mission track built exactly for your skills.

👶

Junior Explorers

Early Primary ScratchJr Scratch

Perfect for early learners embarking on their first coding journey. Create interactive stories, visual mini-games, and simple cause-and-effect rescue animations.

Goal: Learn sequencing while designing a simple mission.

💻

Creative Software

Upper Primary to Yr 12 Scratch Python JS Unity

For students ready to build functional applications. Design drone routing simulations, survival games, logistics systems, or safety alert applications.

Goal: Apply logic to create an interactive digital solution.

🤖

Robotics Engineering

Hardware Focused LEGO / EV3 Arduino MRT

Build the machines that save lives. Construct autonomous line-tracing rescue transports, obstacle-clearing rovers, or automated defense mechanisms.

Goal: Master mechanics, sensors, and physical programming.

🧠

AI & Open Innovation

Advanced Problem Solvers Teachable Machine Vision Toolkits

Push the limits of technology. Integrate pose tracking, object detection, or voice commands to build intelligent interfaces that don’t require physical controllers.

Goal: Pioneer user interaction and machine learning application.

Inspiration

See What Students Can Build

This project is shared as inspiration only. Students are encouraged to create their own unique solutions.

Year 5 Coder

“Zombie Animal Outbreak!”

Yobel took a crisis theme and imagined a scenario where animals turned into zombies attacking a school. The user must help the principal create a vaccine and physically inject the animals to save the system!

The Lesson: It doesn’t have to be perfect code. It just needs an incredible imagination and a fun problem-solving loop!

For Educators

Why Schools Partner With Us

Schools join because the challenge is meaningful, manageable, and highly motivating.

Curriculum-Connected

Perfectly aligns with the national Digital Technologies curriculum for coding, logic, and systems thinking.

Teacher-Friendly Operations

We support Bulk Registration and School Group entries, minimizing administrative headaches for busy teachers.

Inclusive Participation

From Kindergarten block coders to Year 12 AI developers, every student can participate simultaneously across the school.

Registration Benefits

Registration Unlocks Free E-Learning Support

Don’t worry if your students haven’t coded before. The moment your school registers, teachers and students gain access to our dedicated preparation hub.

  • Challenge Setup Orientation
  • Beginner Coding & Game Logic
  • Robotics Hardware Basics
  • Project Planning Guides

Unlock Support Hub

Course Dashboard
Access Granted

Module 1: Scratch Basics
100%

Module 2: Project Planning
In Progress

Module 3: Teachable Machine
Locked

Logistics

How It Works & Schedule

A clear operational flow designed to give schools maximum flexibility.

1

Register

Secure your spot via bulk school entry or individual sign-up. Access prep materials instantly.

2

Prepare & Build

Students formulate ideas, learn mechanics, and build projects inside or outside the classroom.

3

Submit Online

Upload project files and a short demo video for the national preliminary judging matrix.

4

Celebrate

Top participants are invited to the UNSW Grand Final. Certificates are dispensed to all.

Key Dates:
Registrations Open Soon
Submissions By 15 Nov 2026

Impact

A Tradition of National Excellence

This is a growing annual challenge driven by real projects, real schools, and authentic student achievement.

2024 Theme

Humanoid Construction

Students built responsive humanoid companions emphasizing structural mechanics.

2025 Theme

Alien Attack Survival

Defending Rescue City through complex logic networks and rapid robotics deployment.

2026 Theme

The Highway Collapse

Re-establishing logistics and critical safety via specialized technological intervention.

View the 2025 Hall of Fame Awardees

Bring Emergency Protocol 2026 to Your School

Give your students the opportunity to design, build, code, and present meaningful STEM solutions through Australia’s most engaging innovation challenge.

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Australian Government UNSW built Environment MRT Robotics Become A Partner Your Logo Here
Proudly Hosted By UNSW Built Environment
Supported By
🔹 UNSW Built Environment Women in Construction Project 🔹 Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Office for Women 🔹 MRT Robotics (robotclass.com.au) e-learning system