Launched in 2006, Western Australia's (WA) Innovators of the Year has celebrated local businesses, government entities and young people that have developed an outstanding innovative product, technology or service for 20 years.
The Young Innovators Award is awarded to a high school aged individual or team (1 to 5 people) who has developed an outstanding innovative product, technology, process or service that clearly demonstrates an economic, social or environmental benefit to WA.
This year we celebrate joint winners of the award. Agni Renewables, from Comet Bay College/GoSH, and Coolabee, from Hale School, are the 2026 recipients of the Young Innovators Award. Each receiving a cash prize of $1,000 (excl. GST), participation in a Masterclass run by the Young Entrepreneurs Academy (YEA) and participation in West Tech Fest events and activities.
Agni Renewables: Sustainably Transforming Electronic Waste into High-Purity Alumina
Comet Bay College / GoSH
Electronic waste is growing rapidly, yet valuable aluminium within discarded electronics can be difficult to recover because it is mixed with plastics, adhesives and other materials. Agni Renewables is developing a circular process to recover aluminium from electronic waste and transform it into high-purity alumina, a valuable industrial material. Our innovation uses gallium to assist in separating aluminium, while recovering and reusing the gallium in a closed-loop system. By improving the recovery of aluminium from electronic waste, Agni Renewables aims to reduce valuable resources being lost to waste, support a more sustainable recycling approach and contribute to a circular economy.
CoolaBee: Thermoregulating Beehive Attachment
Hale School
Bees worldwide struggle to endure harsh summer temperatures, a problem set to worsen with climate change. This design is a cooling box that sits atop a standard hive, actively driving cooled air downward via fans when internal temperatures surpass a dangerous threshold. Air is cooled evaporatively, pulled through acrylic panels lined with water-soaked air-conditioner filters, a low-cost stand-in for dedicated evaporative cooling pads that achieves the same wetted-surface heat exchange more efficiently. By keeping hives within a safe temperature range, this product offers beekeepers a legitimate way to protect colonies, honey yields, and the broader pollination they support.
