Winners of the inaugural Tropical Innovation Awards were announced at a gala celebration last Friday night.

The north’s brightest creative stars showcased their innovations, with the awards attracting 46 entrants from businesses and individuals vying for success in five categories.

Trophies and financial prizes were presented to winners in the categories of Emerging Innovation, Tropical Innovation, Eco Innovation, Innovation of the Year and People’s Choice Awards.

And it was a tropical water purification system, developed specifically for far northern swimming pools, which took out top honours..

The Eco Splash System (ESS) innovation triumphed above all others, earning Amanda Spelta and her team from Placid Pools in Smithfield the $10,000 cash prize for Innovation of the Year.

Winning innovations in the other four categories included specialised packaging for transporting water, a personal cooling device to limit the effects of heat stress, a photovoltaic system to deliver the sun’s energy directly to power poles and a method for delivering environmentally sound bagasse.

The Douglas region was well represented in the awards, with four entrants in the Tropical innovation, and Eco Innovation categories.

Mayor Val Schier said the evening, held at the Cairns Convention Centre, celebrated the region’s innovative and creative talent. 

“The awards have had great support from with more than 1000 people voting in the People’s Choice awards,“ Cr Schier said.

“This event will attract increased national and international attention to the region, while giving locals insight into the wealth of knowledge, expertise and creative talent right here in North Queensland,” she said.

The purpose of the awards is to stimulate economic development across the far north.

The three member judging panel consisting of Dr John Kapeleris, Deputy CEO of the Australian Institute of Commercialisation, Craig Mounsey, Managing Director CMD Product Design and Innovation, and Paul Thompson, a partner  of patent and trademark attorney's Fisher Adams Kelly, considered entries for a fortnight to come up with the winners. 

Judges were chosen for their professional expertise in the areas of industrial innovation, design and commercialisation and considered each entry’s viability in the market place. 

The awards night is set to become an annual event.  

Winners:

Tropical Innovation of the Year:  The Eco Splash System   
Placid Pools scooped this award and the prize of $10,000 for their tropical water purification system specifically designed for swimming pools ponds and tropical wetlands. The system essentially replicates nature in filtering water through controlling water flow through a natural stone medium, biofilms and aquatic plants.  

Emerging Innovation Award: Enviro Fibre  
Enviro Fibre Pty Ltd won this award and the prize of $5000 for their plan to produce market ready bagasse pulp as a substitute for paper pulp.  A bi-product of the environmentally sound process is a high quality potash fertiliser. The locally produced bagasse pulp product replaces a significant amount of the 350,000 tonnes of pulp imported into Australia annually.  

Eco Innovation Award:  Polepower Energy Innovations 
Polepower Energy Innovations triumphed in this category with a world first application of a solar photovoltaic technology, in a curved solar module that is designed to be mounted on the north face conventional power poles. Powerpole is intended to be used on tens of thousands of power poles in electricity distribution system feeding clean green energy into networks at every pole. 

Tropical Innovation Award: The Cool Me Vest 
James Cook University’s Dr Glen Deakin succeeded in this category with a disposable personal cooling device designed to limit the effects of heat stress during physical activity in hot and humid environments.  The vest promotes rapid recovery in heat stress situations and does not require cooling from an outside source.  

People’s Choice Award: Transportable Aquapax  
Waterfarms Australia won the online vote of the public for the world first cost effective transport system for micro-filtered premium quality natural spring water.  The octagonal shaped thick cardboard box with an interior oxygen inner liner barrier bag protects 1000 litres of water from environmental conditions and prevents it from spoiling. The system is 98% recyclable.