Gorgeous kid wins $30,000 for musical idea

Friday, 26 October 2001

A ground-breaking idea, using contemporary popular music to help teach children with speech and communication difficulties, has earned a team of new South Australian entrepreneurs $30,000 in prizes from Hewlett-Packard Australia.

The $50,000 Entrepreneurs' Challenge, sponsored by HP Australia and run by Adelaide University, was aimed at commercialising innovative ideas into sustainable businesses.

More than 20 teams competed for first prize, with each team including at least one Adelaide University student. Over the last six months, participating teams were required to conduct market research, carry out feasibility studies and draw up business plans. Industry mentors, management consultants, academics and other key supporters were also utilised by teams to help shape and refine their ideas.

The winning team was Gorgeous Kid, which devised a novel style of music that can be integrated with current speech and development techniques. "It's music and learning for those who need more time to catch up with the words and the actions," says the Creative Director of Gorgeous Kid, Andrea rieniets*.

The team comprises Business Manager Pearl Field, a student in Adelaide University's Graduate Diploma of Business Enterprise, and Ms rieniets, who is best known as the singer/songwriter of the Top Ten single "Wooden Child". Gorgeous Kid has been awarded $30,000 in prizes from HP Australia.

The runners up were Paravidya (second place, with $15,000 in prizes) and Your Future Edge (third place, $5000). Gorgeous Kid also took out the People's Choice Awards on the night.

"The real excitement as an artist is to watch this new music art form unfold," Ms rieniets says. "Kids are a huge music audience. We have a thrilling opportunity to design music and education to suit the concerns of kids with speech and communication challenges. The gift of this new music will move and inspire us all."

Norman McCann, managing director HP Australasia, says: "The standard of entries in this inaugural year indicates that there are many good business ideas waiting to be tapped. The Adelaide University Entrepreneurs' Challenge is a great opportunity for businesses to be recognised and realised in a supportive environment."

More information about the Entrepreneurs' Challenge is available from: www.adelaide.edu.au/echallenge/

• rieniets is spelt with a lower-case r.

About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company is a leading global provider of computing and imaging solutions and services. Information about HP and its products can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.au.

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