Qld’s brightest young business minds battle it out

By Priscilla Roberts

More than 150 students from across Queensland have put their business knowledge, teamwork and problem-solving skills to the test in the fiercely competitive 2026 CQUniversity School Business Challenge.

Held last Thursday across CQUniversity campus locations, the annual challenge brought together 30 teams from schools spanning Central Queensland, Wide Bay and Northern Queensland, with students eager to prove their business smarts — and claim regional bragging rights.

This year’s event also marked a new chapter for the long-running competition, with CQUniversity School of Business and Law academic Dr Desley Pidgeon stepping into the role of Quiz Master for the first time.

Dr Pidgeon said the challenge, which has been running since 2011, continued to grow in popularity among secondary students studying business-related subjects.

“We had schools from Bundaberg, Townsville, Cairns, Emerald and Rockhampton all competing at the same time, and the atmosphere was incredibly competitive,” she said.

“You could really see how invested the students were. They wanted to do well for their schools, and there was definitely a sense of pride and bragging rights on the line.”

Dr Pidgeon said the challenge combined fun with real-world learning opportunities.

“The questions range from general business to accounting, economics and legal studies, and they’re all aligned to the senior syllabus, so students are learning while they compete,” she said.

“It’s fast-paced and high-pressure, but that’s what makes it exciting. The students thrive on the teamwork and the challenge of thinking quickly together.”

Teams competed in timed quiz rounds designed to test collaboration, critical thinking and decision-making skills under pressure.

Regional winners announced on the night were:

• Central Queensland: Emmaus College Team 1 (Rockhampton) – Nash Pratt, Emily Fox, Caity Pearce and Mia Walker
• Wide Bay: Bundaberg State High School – Elsy Drew, Anneliese Wark, Sokheng Song and Jarvis Sheppard
• Northern Queensland: The Cathedral School of St Anne and St James Team 2 (Townsville) – Tom Jolly, Nicholas Kotzee, Jens Mutavdzic and Estella Dobbins.

The winning teams will now progress to the final round, where they will complete and present a business case study solution via video submission.

Dr Pidgeon said one of the highlights of this year’s event was the involvement of industry sponsors, who spoke with students about careers in business and accounting.

“One of the really exciting additions this year was having our sponsors speak directly with students about what it’s actually like working in business and accounting,” she said.

“It gave students the chance to ask questions, hear real industry stories and start thinking about where these subjects could take them in the future.”

She said the challenge also helped students connect with like-minded peers from across Queensland.

“A lot of these students are passionate about business, economics or legal studies, so it’s great for them to meet others with similar interests and build those connections,” Dr Pidgeon said.

“But the biggest thing is they get to see industry in action and explore whether these are careers they’d like to pursue after school.”

Heights College Year 11 student Rhys Victorino said students were excited to test themselves against schools from across the state.

“We’re here to broaden our skills across business, legal studies and economics, and it’s a really great opportunity to work together as a team,” he said. 

Mr Victorino said the social side of the event was also a major drawcard.

“It’s great connecting not just within our school, but with students from other schools as well,” he said. 

Sponsors supporting the 2026 challenge included BDO Australia, Connole Carlisle, SMR Lawyers, Evans Edwards, Shanahan Swaffield Partners and Whitson Dawson.