April 15, 2026 – Youth from across British Columbia are being celebrated as regional winners in the Rideau Hall Foundation’s Ingenious+ challenge. From coastal communities to urban centres, these young innovators are responding to the needs they see around them, developing ideas that respond to local challenges while contributing to broader conversations around health, sustainability, accessibility, and connection.
Now in its fifth year, Ingenious+ continues to support young innovators across the country as they turn ideas into action, providing funding, mentorship, and a national platform to grow their work.
This year’s BC winners will be recognized in Victoria, British Columbia, at a ceremony held at Government House. The event brings together young innovators from across the province. Each winner will receive $1,000 to further develop their innovation and advance in the national competition.
“It’s an honour to celebrate these young innovators here in British Columbia,” says Teresa Marques, President and CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation. “These ideas are thoughtful, practical, and grounded in real needs, from improving accessibility and healthcare, to supporting mental well-being and protecting the environment. What stands out is the care behind each innovation, and the determination to make a difference in their communities.”
The 2026 BC winners reflect a wide range of innovations, from assistive technologies and healthcare solutions to environmental initiatives, AI-powered tools, and community programs that support inclusion and well-being. Projects include accessible devices for individuals with visual and mobility challenges, apps that help people navigate complex health information, solutions to reduce food waste and pollution, and youth-led initiatives that build connection through creativity and learning.
Across the country, interest in entrepreneurship is growing. Programs like Ingenious+ play an important role in supporting this momentum early, helping young people move from ideas to real-world solutions that contribute to stronger communities and a more competitive economy.
Since its launch in 2022, Ingenious+ has supported nearly 600 young innovators across Canada. This year’s regional winners join a growing national community of youth who are building solutions with creativity, empathy, and purpose.
Media Contact
Jill Clark
Sr Advisor, Strategic Communications and Media Relations
jill.clark@rhf-frh.ca
Rideau Hall Foundation
613-619-0230
About the Rideau Hall Foundation
The Rideau Hall Foundation (RHF) is a non–partisan national charity that brings together ideas, people and resources to celebrate what is best about Canada while working with partners to meaningfully improve the lives of Canadians. The RHF celebrates excellence while creating opportunities and connecting communities, all towards the shared purpose of a better Canada. Learn more: https://rhf–frh.ca/
Regional winners from British Columbia include:
ABrailleAbility
Elvin Nguyen. Vancouver, British Columbia
A 3D-printed Braille medication label designed to reduce annual medication related errors for the Blind & Visually Impaired.
Anecdota
Arabella Mew, Sarah Yu, and Mackenzie Chung. Vancouver, British Columbia.
A learning resource that adapts fairytales into learning modules for neurodivergent youth, with each module focusing on improving executive functioning and social cognition skills.
BearBuddy
Michael Hu. Vancouver, British Columbia
An AI-powered school tour companion that answers questions, helping shy students feel welcomed, while giving families personalized support during school visits.
BikeScoreBC
Alekay Singh. Burnaby, British Columbia
A web app combining bike infrastructure data with community ratings to highlight British Columbia’s most bikeable areas, helping riders choose better routes and promote sustainable transportation modes.
CapyPrints- Comfort gadgets for children, youth & seniors
Yunshu Liao. Burnaby, British Columbia
A youth-led organization that designs and 3D prints customizable sensory tools to support focus, emotional regulation, and daily independence within schools and senior homes.
ChitoResQ Rescue Mask
Abbie Zhao and Jenna Hu. Burnaby, British Columbia
An eco-friendly rescue mask that reinforces a PLA filter with chitosan extracted from crawfish shells, providing water resistance and filtration for use in emergency situations.
ChronicGel
Christopher Li. West Vancouver, British Columbia
A clear, gel-like hydrogel–MOF composite made from biocompatible, naturally sourced materials designed to heal chronic wounds.
ClarityDX
Ayra Dhillon. Abbotsford, British Columbia.
A secure app that helps people affected by cancer make sense of medical information, track their journey, and feel more prepared for appointments.
EcoMuffler
John Li and Aditya Sura. Burnaby, British Columbia
An attachable car muffler containing a 3-stage filtration system, allowing it to filter harmful byproducts and improve air quality especially in urban areas.
Franco-gardien.nes
Zia Richard. Vancouver, British Columbia
An inclusive, scalable initiative that equips bilingual youth with key certifications and connects them with francophone families to deliver safe, culturally relevant childcare—strengthening early language transmission, youth employability, and community vitality in minority language settings.
Find Your Way Database
Zohra Khawaja. Surrey, British Columbia
A comprehensive database that provides fast, anonymous, and accessible support for at-risk and unhoused youth by sourcing local programs that meet their individual needs.
Limb Assisting Device (LAR)
Blake Guo and Ethan Guo. Richmond, British Columbia
This device aims to provide affordable, accessible support that improves movement, independence, and quality of life for individuals with mobility issues.
Low-Cost, Accessible Pre-Treatment for High-Organic Domestic Wastewater in Rural Tropical Southeast Asia
Rina Kim and Cindy Liu. Burnaby, British Columbia
A low-cost wastewater pretreatment approach using local natural resources to improve water quality in rural Southeast Asia.
Naloxone Training & Awareness Program and Portable Emergency Naloxone Response Kit for High School Students
Chantelle Steyn. Penticton, British Columbia
This program empowers high school students through Naloxone training, awareness, and a portable Emergency Naloxone Response Kit to improve emergency interventions.
Navig8 Smart Glasses
Wesley Au, Justin Rui and Kama Zhu. Vancouver, British Columbia
Glasses that use computer vision and vibrational patterns to help visually impaired individuals safely detect and navigate hazards in urban environments.
Neurexo: Brain Wave Controlled Exoskeleton Arm
Nirmay Singh and Abdel Sayed Ahmed. Burnaby, British Columbia
An EEG controlled exoskeleton arm that provides approximately 20lbs of assistance, enabling individuals with mobility issues to lift independently.
A Novel Dual-Mode Hands-Free Computer Accessibility App: DeviceABLE
Jora Singh Nahal. Vancouver, British Columbia
A computer accessibility app designed for people with various disabilities, enabling full hands-free control through head and facial movements or voice commands.
PantryPal
Ava Spenta and Zeyus Spenta. North Vancouver, British Columbia
An AI-powered food management app that scans your fridge/pantry, tracks freshness, suggests recipes to reduce waste, and connects unused food with community sharing programs.
Poet2Poet
Hanna Grover. Surrey, British Columbia
A youth-driven organization that provides space to publish poetry and express creative thoughts, to support emotional vulnerability, mental well-being and foster connections.
Power Pack
Vaishnavi Verma and Zaarin Tasneem. Surrey, British Columbia
An affordable, eco‑friendly heat pack made from discarded chip bags, designed to reduce plastic waste while helping prevent hypothermia among unhoused individuals.
ReNature Filter
Jiwei Bai. Vancouver, British Columbia
An integrated filtration system using biodegradable materials, nano-scale technology, and AI-optimized engineering to remove pollutants from wastewater.
SafeCross
Audrey Fan. Burnaby, British Columbia
This AI app increases the safety and mobility of individuals with sight impairments by detecting pedestrian traffic signals through a smartphone camera.
Saponin Surfactants
Tanvir Mundra. Vancouver, British Columbia
A concentrated, plant-based cleaning solution derived from soap nut saponins, offering a viable and environmentally safe alternative to synthetic laundry detergents.
SeaCure
Yufan Wang. Vancouver, British Columbia
This innovation mobilizes Canadian youth across Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic coastlines to combat antibiotic pollution through awareness campaigns, citizen science surveillance, and community.
Sense the Way
Miyo Macario. Delta, British Columbia
Geometric tactile wall pathways installed in homes for the blind, enabling residents to navigate unfamiliar spaces using touch-based wayfinding.
SENTRIUS: Humanoid AI Assistant That Saves Lives
Nirmay Singh. Burnaby, British Columbia
A humanoid robot designed to assist elderly and disabled individuals with daily tasks and support for caregivers through practical, human-centered robotics.
SweatSense
Zi Chen Sheng. Surrey, British Columbia
A non-invasive and affordable wearable device with a smartphone camera that performs colorimetric sensing of eccrine sweat, in order to monitor glucose and other analytes.
The Effects of Urocortin II on Microglial M1 polarization, MHC II expression, and Oxidative Stress
Andre Yao and Lucas Chen. Vancouver, British Columbia
A therapeutic innovation focusing on how Urocortin II helps calm harmful brain inflammation, by guiding immune cells toward healing after a hemorrhagic stroke.
The Living Library
Neer Gupta. Vancouver, British Columbia
A platform where seniors share their verbal wisdom by training an AI system, which then makes that knowledge accessible to youth via a physical rotary device and an app.
The Solar-Vital Link: Autonomous Medical Power Stabilization
Jonathan Weng. Vancouver, British Columbia
A solar-powered power hub that cleans unstable electricity, so life-saving medical devices work safely in off-grid clinics during outages and power surges.
Youth Psychology Society
Yilin Chou. South Surrey, British Columbia
A global youth-led nonprofit that makes psychology accessible through events, mentorship, and educational content, supporting learners and building a more empathetic society.
