This year, NSW Health is inviting students across the state to take on a unique and imaginative competition:
to step into the future and decide what comes next.
The Future Health Worldbuilding Competition 2025 is a call to action for young people to explore their creativity, critical thinking, and sense of social responsibility.
Worldbuilding is the practice of imagining, designing, and communicating the systems, values, and environments of an alternative or future world. It draws on skills in storytelling, systems thinking, ethics, and innovation which are all essential for thinking critically and creatively about change.
Students in Years 7-10 are invited to imagine and create a vision of a future healthcare system. Through art, writing, video, storytelling, design, or prototypes, they’ll craft their own future world where care is re-imagined for people, communities, and the planet.
Their ideas won’t be graded but they’ll be taken seriously. Submissions will help inform NSW Health’s strategic planning. Finalists will attend a Future Health Symposium at Westmead in Term 4, and winners will be offered a bespoke, behind-the-scenes tour of an innovative health care space and other great prizes.
Where it links to learning
Students will naturally draw on knowledge and skills from:
- Science – understanding systems, health, and the role of innovation
- PDHPE – exploring wellbeing, care equity, and community health
- Technology – applying design thinking and digital creativity
- English – crafting compelling narratives and persuasive ideas
- Careers & Civics – imagining their future role in public life and shared systems
It’s also tightly aligned with NSW General Capabilities and IB Approaches to Learning, from creative and critical thinking to communication and intercultural understanding. How to get involved:
Support your students – share the website with them. Encourage them to watch the supporting materials and access the Canva workbook.
Join our Live Info Session – we’ve got two upcoming sessions… Sat 30th August 1-2pm and Wed 10th Sept 5-6pm.
Get all your questions answered, hear from the organisers, and learn how easy it is to support students through this challenge.
Register for updates – Stay in the loop with reminders, resources, and inspiration to share with your students. Register here.