Two talented Year 9 students from The Lakes College, Pristine and Aeryn, have claimed first place in their category in the 2025 Premier’s Coding Challenge, an outstanding achievement that highlights both their creativity and their passion for solving real-world problems through technology. Their winning entry was developed as part of their Year 9 Creative Coding assessment, where students were challenged to design a game with purpose and impact.
Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the boys created an engaging under-the-sea themed game “Aquatic Adventures” that raises awareness about ocean pollution. Players collect rubbish to help restore the marine environment, an idea driven by their desire to shine a light on environmental issues affecting oceans today. As they shared in their video submission, the goal was “not just coding a game, but coding something that can lead to real life impact,” a sentiment that encapsulates the power of technology as a tool for change.
For Aeryn, the challenge opened the door to developing new technical skills, including learning pixel art, creating sprite sheets and working with the Godot game engine. He also enjoyed crafting a lively underwater world filled with marine life, though he found matching their own pixel art to online assets a rewarding challenge. When news of their win arrived, he described feeling “hit with a wave of shock.”
Pristine’s favourite part was hands-on coding in GD-Script, also using the Godot engine. He is particularly proud of the user interface he designed and said the experience has strengthened his desire to pursue game development further, with hopes of creating games for public release.
Both boys are excited to keep expanding their coding skills, and the College is incredibly proud of their achievement, an inspiring example of learning, creativity and social awareness coming together to make a meaningful impact.
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