LucyAnn Excellence Awards 2025:Igniting Africa’s Future on a Bed of Stardust

Dr. Lucy Anning

DevAfrica Institute

Lucyann@devafricainstitute.org 

Under the resonant theme \”Celebrating STEM Brilliance: Redefining Tomorrow’s Possibilities with Stardust,\” the prestigious LucyAnn Excellence Awards 2025 stormed and transformed the Rising Academy School in Kasoa into a crucible of youthful genius and boundless potential last Friday, the 30th of May, 2025. This groundbreaking ceremony wasn\’t merely an awards event but a dazzling coronation of Africa\’s next generation of scientific pioneers and their innovations shimmering with the promise of a brighter future, truly crafted from stardust.

Born from a visionary initiative designed to unearth latent talent, the Awards challenged over 50 exceptional students from Rising Academy School with a rigorous, months-long Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) project, building innovations from waste materials or products. The goal was audacious thus pushing boundaries, fostering critical thinking, and birthing tangible solutions from fertile young minds. The result was an electrifying display of ingenuity that left judges and attendees alike in awe.

The Crucible of Competition Where Rigor Met Revelation

The path to recognition was demanding as student projects underwent intense scrutiny and spirited intellectual banter, subjected to the exact standards of the distinguished Award Committee. Spearheading this vital evaluation was Ms. Gloria Brew, the renowned STEM Ambassador for the DevAfrica Institute headquartered in Accra Ghana, with chapters in United Kingdom and South Africa respectively, whose leadership ensured only the most exceptional, well-rounded innovations rose to the top.

\”Witnessing the sheer caliber of thought and application displayed by these students was nothing short of humbling,\” declared Ms. Brew during the ceremony. \”They didn\’t just complete projects but they tackled local and global challenges with solutions that were both ingenious and deeply practical. The \’stardust\’ in this year\’s theme wasn\’t just metaphorical as we saw glimpses of the extraordinary brilliance that will shape our continent and our world in this digital era and beyond.\”

Six Stars Ascendant Crowned the Champions of Innovation

From this formidable field of over fifty contenders, six stellar talents emerged with their projects shining with distinct brilliance in their specialized niches. The LucyAnn Excellence Awards proudly bestowed honours upon:

‎1. First Place: Jonathan Oteng – \”For his sustainable automated dustbin, basket made from waste plastic containers and a moveable prototype of a tricycle and aeroplane  using recycled waste materials from the environment\”, his award consisted of comprehensive educational accoutrement and a significant Cash Prize

‎2. Second Place: Lily Boahen – \”For her colourful wall hanging, flower bouquet and a flower vase all made with recycled waste materials in our environment\”, her award comprised of advanced educational tools and Substantial Cash Prize.

‎3. Third Place: Kardijah Alhassan – \”For her innovative, low-cost pencil  holder, a lunch box and a mini book shelf all from recycled waste materials in her immediate environment\”, Kardijah was awarded with Essential educational resources plus an appreciable  Cash Prize

‎4. Excellence Award: Joshua Eyison – was also awarded with essential educational resources and a Cash Prize for his automated prototype car made from recycled waste materials

‎5. Excellence Award: Prosper Anan – For his development of a water dispenser, a hand fan and a prototype of a four burner stove with an oven all made from recycled waste materials, Prosper was equally awarded with essential educational resources and a Cash Priz

‎6. Excellence Award: Sidi Yussif – finally,  Yussif , for his creative development of a water dispenser made from waste materials in his immediate environment was honoured with the award of essential educational resources as well as Cash Prize.

In brief, the top three awardees received transformative educational accoutrements alongside significant cash prizes, empowering their continued academic journey. The fourth to sixth place Excellence Awardees were presented with substantial scholarly materials complimented with appreciable cash prizes respectively, further fueling their intellectual pursuits. Each award symbolizes a profound investment in potential, recognizing not just achievement, but the spark of future greatness.

Catalyzing a Continental STEM Revolution Beyond the Podium

The LucyAnn Excellence Awards 2025 transcends individual accolades standing as a powerful beacon within Ghana, across Africa and globally, strategically designed to encourage, inspire, and dramatically accelerate the STEM Agenda. By showcasing the tangible outcomes of investing in young scientific minds – minds capable of solving real-world problems with creativity and technical skill – the Awards send an unequivocal message, in that, Africa\’s future is bright, innovative, and rooted in STEM excellence among relational others.

“The Rising Academy School was immensely proud to host this catalytic event,” Mr. Hopeson, the Principal of Rising Academies Network and Bright Kwaku Obeng the academic manager of Rising Academies Network, Kasoa chapter opined. In his closing remark, the school manager stated that \”Seeing our students not only rise to this challenge but redefine what\’s possible fills us with tremendous hope. The LucyAnn Awards perfectly embody our commitment to nurturing the scientists, engineers, and tech leaders of tomorrow, right here from Kasoa, Ghana\” and we are grateful to Dr. Lucy Anning, the director of DevAfrica Institute, the LucyAnn Excellence Awards planning Committee and DevAfrica Institute\’s own STEM ambassador, Ms. Gloria Brew. 

Let the world witness the dawn being redefined.

Lucyann@devafricainstitute.org