Sustainable Solutions Challenge: A Judges POV
The Academy9 Sustainable Solutions 2026 Final is near, and so we wanted to give our shortlisted teams an insight into the Sustainable Solutions Final Judging Ceremony from the Perspective of one of our judges, Gary Kinniburgh.
Gary is a Project Manager and works with large teams of professionals to deliver large scale infrastructure projects. He is currently one of the Project Managers working on the A9 Dualling Project in Scotland.
What to Expect at the Final
I have been lucky enough to have attended the final of the Academy Sustainable Solutions event for the last two years running and hope I am lucky enough to be invited back again this year.
My first experience of Sustainable Solutions was attending the final in 2024. I was invited along and asked to provide a brief presentation on sustainable examples during construction. I encountered first hand the amazing ideas, energy and enthusiasm that these primary and secondary school pupils, from all over the country, had about delivering a roads project. I was first struck by the confidence they had when presenting their solutions to the judges. They were confident and their delivery was refined and I remember being very impressed as I know how daunting it can be to present to a large audience.
From the presentations it was clear that the pupils had really enjoyed the Sustainable Solutions task and their enthusiasm and passion really came across. What really struck me was the depth of the innovation they had considered as well as how considerate they had been in developing inclusive solutions to support as much of our society as they could.
They included solutions for mobility impaired users and solutions for people who might rely on foodbanks. They had also really considered the impact of the project on the environment and ensured that nature and wildlife was considered in the solutions and mitigations. The depth of the knowledge they demonstrated really struck me as they were not token gestures being put forward.
The pupils had also brought along models of their designs which really brought them to life. Looking at the models after the presentations it was clear that the models matched what they had presented to us earlier.
Judge Gary’s POV
Last year I was invited along to the Sustainable Solutions event again, but this time to be on the judging panel. Having enjoyed the final in 2024 I was really looking forward to the 2025 final. For 2025 we were at a new venue, the AK Bell Library in Perth. We were in the auditorium, and this gave the pupils the stage they deserved to present their design solutions. The standard of the entries last year was of an equally high standard to those I witnessed in 2024. This made judging the entries a pleasure, but it was also a challenge to choose a worthy 1st place. In reality that meant selecting the entry in each category that was just a little bit better than the others.
When judging and listening to the presentations I am checking to make sure that they have covered all the criteria, and the key points I am looking for is the justifications they give for the decisions they have made. There are no right or wrong solutions, so as long as they demonstrated how they have reached their conclusions. It is also important to demonstrate that they have worked as a team and listened to each other’s point of view. This is something that came across strongly last year. I think the thing that sets a design apart is when as many of the elements of the chosen solution complement each other as possible.
What was lovely to see was all the schools being excited for each other when the winners were selected. All schools seemed to just really enjoy the opportunity to take part and come along and present to us. It was clear that they had really enjoyed the 10-week programme.
I feel really privileged to be involved and hope I am invited back to be a judge again soon.
We can wait to see our 2026 shortlisted finalist present at our Final Judging Ceremony this year!
If you would like to find out how to enter the Sustainable Solutions competition next year please complete the contact us form below and we will be in touch.
