This year, we partnered with the renowned Villars Institute to take on pressing global challenges. Aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land, this year's Sparkathon challenged students to protect, restore, and sustainably manage the terrestrial ecosystems and natural systems upon which all life depends. Students brainstormed, prototyped, and pitched game-changing ideas, and four judges from Villars assessed the projects. They were quite impressed with what our students created. 

We're delighted to announce the winning teams, and share our participating New York teams with you….

Best Overall Solution

Kimchi Boys – Dwight School Seoul

Hugh Mitchell ’29, Duncan Song ’29, Roi Kang ’29, Hoyeon Bae ’29

Most Innovative Idea

Project Phoenix – Franklin School

Aisha Ibrahim ’27

Best Pitch

Stitch Sisters – Franklin School

Prishaa Lakhani ’27 and Ellie Leong ’27

Best Social Impact

Aquarise Ethiopia – Dwight School London

Abyssinia Admasu ’29 and Maleha Jastreboff ’29 

Congratulations to our winners, and to all the teams who took on challenges across the globe. More about each winning team’s project and a full list of our participating New York teams can be found below.

In addition, you can get a peek into the Sparkathon process across our global network in the latest edition of Global Visions…

 

It was truly an impressive Sparkathon, where our students learned valuable skills in areas such as innovation, design, entrepreneurship, teamwork, and communication skills, the benefits of which they will see in school and well into the future.

Thanks to the global Design Team and the Sparkathon Planning Committee for making this year’s event such a success. Thanks as well to our judges for their time and insight.

Please join us in congratulating ALL of the participants and winners!

Winners

Best Overall Solution

Kimchi Boys – Dwight School Seoul | Hugh Mitchell ’29, Duncan Song ’29, Roi Kang ’29, Hoyeon Bae ’29

This is Kimchi Boys’ second year bringing a big idea to the Sparkathon, and this year they went after one of the hardest problems on the planet: energy. In their project, “Wave Energy Harvesting via Piezoelectric Impact Design: Powering the Future from the Ocean's Motion,” their piezoelectric wave harvesting device converts ocean motion into electricity. The group’s teamwork was a true strength as they harnessed four different minds into one coherent vision — together, they designed, prototyped, and tested the device. That's not easy, and the result speaks for itself. Judges deemed their project "exceptionally ambitious and creative," “well researched,” and “sophisticated.”

Most Innovative Idea

Project Phoenix – Franklin School | Aisha Ibrahim ’27

Aisha saw wildfires not just as a crisis, but as a design problem — and then she built a solution. Project Phoenix combines AI-powered satellite mapping with drone-deployed seed pods designed to restore forest soil from the inside out, starting with the fungi that fire destroys first. Judges found this project “highly creative and systems-oriented,” giving the project the edge in taking home the honor of Most Innovative Idea.

Best Pitch

Stitch Sisters – Franklin School | Prishaa Lakhani ’27 and Ellie Leong ’27

The Stitch Sisters designed the Flip Kit — a textile upcycling kit that gives everyday consumers the tools and knowledge to repurpose damaged clothing instead of discarding it, directly addressing the global fast fashion waste crisis. The team’s pitch demonstrated a real understanding of their target audience, a command of branding and storytelling, and a stand-out video. They presented a professional, creative, and confident pitch, down to their slogan: “Don't rip it. Flip it." Fast fashion has a massive waste problem, and Prishaa and Ellie created a solution that's as accessible as it is smart.

Best Social Impact

Aquarise Ethiopia – Dwight School London | Abyssinia Admasu ’29 and Maleha Jastreboff ’29

Aquarise Ethiopia combines solar farm technology with traditional Warka water towers to harvest water from air in drought-stricken regions of Ethiopia — generating electricity and clean water for farming communities with almost no maintenance required. This project presents a community-centered solution to drought, desertification, water scarcity, and food insecurity — and it does so with reverence for the people it serves. Aquarise Ethiopia’s Warka towers are shaped by two pillars of Ethiopian heritage: the Mesob basket and the ancient Aksum obelisks. Aby and Maleha’s solution is literally built from the culture it's designed to protect. That kind of thinking is rare. Add rigorous research, systems design, and a solution that's both scalable and low-maintenance, and you have something that doesn't just win an award — it makes you believe change is possible!

Dwight New York Teams

• Mission Green | Julia Jeffery ’31, Sophia Kalanovic ’31, Noah Levy ’31, and Vivien Song ’31
• The Deeper Clean | William Dong ’30, Reis Okutan ’30, and Aaryav Sinha ’30
• Blue Cycle | Henry Brennan ’29 and Andrew Hur ’29
• AeroLeaf | James Harber ’28, Amalia Heller ’28, Chiara Kavanagh ’28, and Luca Vinocur ’28
• The Living House Project | Nicholas Hamm ’27, Ben Hellinger ’27, Vicente Novoa ’27, and Momo Yamashita ’27