Register now for Eco Challenge 2026 - Great Barrier Reef Challenge Course at Makers Empire!
Registrations are Now Open!
Get ready to design, create and act for the Reef in a whole new way.
For this year’s Eco Challenge, the Reef Guardian School have teamed up with Makers Empire to spark student creativity and real-world problem solving.
This year’s challenge theme is threats to the Great Barrier Reef.
Through hands-on activities, videos and quizzes, students will explore real threats facing the Reef, then design and test their own ideas to help protect Reef health. Using 3D modelling tools, students will create and refine solutions to environmental challenges like marine debris, Crown-of-thorns starfish outbreaks, and climate impacts.
In this Challenge Course students will:
- Explore why the Great Barrier Reef is recognised for its outstanding universal value as a World Heritage site
- Identify the five major threats: climate change, water quality, marine debris, Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, and fishing practices
- Apply design thinking to create solutions that help protect the Reef.
The Great Barrier Reef Challenge Course is designed for Australian primary students (Years 3 to 9) however it can be adapted for older learners and international contexts. It takes between 5 to 10 hours to complete.
The challenge opens in July and closes on 12 December 2026.
No membership? No worries. Schools participating in the Eco Challenge 2026, will have access to a free Makers Empire trial, so everyone can jump in and get creating.
For more information and to register go to Great Barrier Reef Challenge Course.