University of Tasmania

Upsurge

Emily Brown, Fay Harjanto, Alice Wilkinson, Jasmine Fast

Upsurge transforms invasive urchin shell waste into UrchCrete bioconcrete frames, supporting the regeneration of Tasmania's giant kelp forests. Warming ocean temperatures and overgrazing by invasive sea urchins have driven the collapse of these critical marine ecosystems, threatening biodiversity, habitat, and ecological balance across the Great Southern Reef. Designed as a labour-efficient and scalable method, Upsurge frames are pre-cultured with kelp spores before being suspended in nutrient-rich waters along Tasmania's East Coast, reducing predation and improving survival during early growth stages. By restoring giant kelp forests, Upsurge strengthens marine resilience and harnesses blue carbon ecosystems as tools for climate change mitigation. Through partnerships with aquaculture industries, the Palawa community, researchers and conservation organisations, Upsurge envisions a circular system of ocean regeneration, supporting the Southern Ocean one frame at a time.

Composite Wood Substitute

Nonfinalist Project

Lachlan Krushka, Connor Bingham

Tasmania's native forest logging produces vast quantities of sawdust waste, while invasive long-spined sea urchins are destroying local kelp forests and generating shell waste through the harvesting industry. This project proposes combining both waste streams into a composite wood substitute — sawdust bound with calcium carbonate powder ground from discarded sea urchin shells — to create an eco-friendly alternative to timber for furniture, construction, and household applications, reducing native forest logging incentives while making productive use of two existing Tasmanian waste streams.

Deep Sea Tiles

Nonfinalist Project

Maxwell Stops, Amelia Wiggins, Lorenzo Flonta, Jemima Fitzgerald

Black mould growth on bathroom tiles creates ongoing health risks and contributes to tile waste in landfill. This project proposes using sea urchin shell waste — a by-product of Tasmania's invasive species harvesting industry — as the primary structural material for bathroom tiles, combined with plant-based bio-resin coatings and algae-derived biopolymer binders to create a hydrophobic, mould-resistant surface. By drawing on this existing waste stream, the project addresses both the environmental cost of conventional ceramic tiles and the problem of discarded urchin shells simultaneously.

Seagrass Staples

Nonfinalist Project

Ngoc Nhu Lan Su, Pun Suwattnakorn

Seagrass restoration programs currently rely on bamboo skewers or metal staples to anchor transplanted seedlings — bamboo degrades too quickly in Tasmanian conditions, and metal must be retrieved or it pollutes. This project proposes a biodegradable U-shaped anchoring staple made from sea urchin shell waste, a by-product of Tasmania's invasive species harvesting industry, combined with a bioplastic binder. The goal is a staple that supports seagrass root establishment for the required duration before safely decomposing in the marine environment.

UrchinTastic

Nonfinalist Project

Ava Bissett

This project proposes using waste sea urchin shells — a by-product of Tasmania's invasive long-spined sea urchin harvesting industry — as the primary material for garden pots. The shells are ground into a calcium carbonate-rich powder and combined with a biopolymer binder to create a mouldable, rigid composite suitable for outdoor use. By drawing on this existing waste stream, the project offers an alternative to conventional plastic or ceramic planters, with the goal of producing a pot that is compostable at end-of-life.