Mata Garuda Australia-New Zealand organised the festival to encourage Indonesian students in Australia to develop contribution plans for their home country through panel discussions, an ideathon and professional networking.
Mata Garuda Australia-New Zealand (MGANZ), an organisation representing more than 6,000 recipients and alums of Indonesia's Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) in Australia and New Zealand, held the Garuda Contribution Fest 2026 on Saturday, 22 August 2026 at the Forum Theatre, Arts West Building, University of Melbourne, Parkville.
The full-day event, themed "Ideas Across Borders, Impact for Indonesia", is one of MGANZ's flagship programs. Valerie Krasnadewi, a marketing communication student at the University of Melbourne, and Puspita Seruni, an MBA student at the University of Sydney, co-chaired it.
The core spirit of the festival was to bridge what students gain during their studies in Australia with how they can apply it when they return to Indonesia, Seruni said. This aligns with LPDP's vision of ensuring scholarship recipients contribute to Indonesia after completing their education abroad, she said.
The event featured three key segments: panel discussions, an 'ideathon' and networking sessions with prominent companies and organisations. A total of 33 teams submitted their plans for the 'ideathon', Krasnadewi said. The 'ideathon' is a competition where teams pitch innovative ideas to address real-world challenges in Indonesia.
Listen to the full interview on the SBS Indonesian podcast.
