When Zen Burgess developed the idea in his Project-Based Learning class, he never imagined it would take him to Future Anything’s Grand Final Showcase in Brisbane, let alone land him a combined $24,000 in mentoring, investments and a cash prize.
Zen’s ‘Deduction Dungeon’ concept gamifies tax, incentivising people to file documents before generating an open-world quest at tax time, where users complete their taxes as they play.
“If someone tells you they love tax, they’re lying,” Zen says.
“With Deduction Dungeon, I hope to make tax entertaining, while also educating users.”
Judges praised Zen’s idea for its scalability, impact, and broad appeal. He will now pursue his five-year development plan, supported by expert mentoring and potential investment.
Investigator College’s Head of Inquiry Learning and Innovation, Lucas Lane, travelled to Brisbane with Zen and his family, where the College was also recognised as 1 of 5 Team of the Year finalists.
Mr Lane says he “over the moon” with the result and that it reflects potential, as well as the College’s courage to challenge the status quo in education and cultivate real-world problem solvers.
“This is a testament to giving kids agency and inviting them to think upon and design solutions to the problems in their world,” Mr Lane said.
“Where Zen has been successful, it’s because we haven’t pushed him – but given him space to follow his ideas.
“He took the freedom and went for it, and it’s wonderful to see the risk pay off, for him and for the College.
“I am so grateful for the support of Investigator College’s leadership team and Board in embracing Future Anything’s award-winning Activate program.
“I was in the conference centre, hearing from innovative young people and thinking ‘we are in good hands’. And to have one of them, the winner in fact, coming back Victor Harbor – it’s a special feeling.”
