The award, part of the state-wide Youth Frontiers program, recognises young developers and bright children from Year 8 and 9 that are developing connections and improving their local community.

Mentoring is a major part of the development of the program, and focuses on creativity, passion and determination.

Wallace-Smith, who looked to improve exercise plans for seniors in the Belmont area, said he was excited about how the ideas developed into “real-life contributions”.

“The best thing about the program was making my idea come to life and achieving my goal of running my elderly exercise class,” Wallace-Smith said.

His submission was a daily exercise program for seniors, and the Belmont student began his project with a booklet containing photographic examples and descriptions.

Wallace-Smith then presented his class program to the clients of the Lake Macquarie Support Services, and has since expanded his reach in the area so that all aged-care residents can participate at no personal cost.

Wallace-Smith was especially proud of how far his project spread, and stated that “participating in Youth Frontiers showed me how any person willing to put in the time and effort can make a real difference in their community.”

The success of participating young adults since the competition’s foundation in 2015 hasn’t gone unnoticed by Minster Responsible for Youth, Ray Williams, who announced a further $6.3 million funding to continue the community program from 2018 to 2020.

“Youth Frontiers is one of the largest mentoring programs in the entire country. The additional funding will ensure another 1,200 young people across the State will benefit from this valuable program each year,” Mr Williams said.

Eight categories will be available from 2018: Community Harmony, Youth Mental Health, Engaging in Sport, Empowering Young Women, the Centenary of ANZAC, Environment and Conservation, Group Projects, and an all-access general category.