Media OutReach
Edgefield Secondary School Students Clinch Top Honours at the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 Competition
Their winning project, BuddyBot, is a smart assistant that helps individuals with Down Syndrome overcome challenges with executive functioning, building independence for their everyday routines, while alleviating the burden on their caregivers to provide constant guidance and support
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 10 November 2025 – Samsung Electronics Singapore crowned Team BuddyBot from Edgefield Secondary School as the overall champion of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 competition in Singapore. The team, made up of Bella Teo and Shannon Ong, stood out against a field of 90 participating teams with their project, BuddyBot – a smart assistant designed to help young individuals with Down Syndrome build daily living independence to lighten the load on their caregivers. As the winner, Team BuddyBot won $7,000 in cash and $10,000 worth of Samsung products to support the development of their solution. The team will also go on a sponsored trip to Samsung’s headquarters and innovation facilities in South Korea in December.
The second prize went to Team Through Their Eyes from Cedar Girls’ Secondary School for their immersive empathy-building simulation titled Through Their Eyes, which aims to cultivate inclusive and respectful online behaviour among youths. Third place was awarded to Team Pei Pei Hwa Hwa from Pei Hwa Secondary School, who created Ando Hypohidrosis Vests to help individuals who struggle to produce sweat keep cool in warm weather conditions. Team Smart Cane, made up of students from Nanyang Girls’ High School, Chung Cheng High School (Main), Springfield Secondary School and the School of Science and Technology Singapore, won the People’s Choice Award, whose Smart Cane solution for individuals with visual impairments received the highest number of public votes online.
Now into its ninth year, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a youth innovation platform that inspires youth to use technology and creativity to shape a better tomorrow for all. This year’s competition rallies secondary school students to help build a more secure future for Singapore following its SG60 milestone by contributing ideas surrounding four key themes – Environmental Sustainability; Sport, Health and Technology; Inclusivity and Social Harmony; and Digital Readiness and Security. Students can draw inspiration from Samsung’s innovation history, expertise, breakthroughs, and apply the learnings to solve real-world issues to make a positive impact on their country, community and the world.
Impressing the Judges at the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 Finals
Inspired to help young individuals with Down Syndrome overcome challenges with executive functioning, Team BuddyBot set out to develop a smart assistant to help such individuals manage their everyday routines more independently. Using a portable, compact device designed for users complemented by a mobile app for caregivers, BuddyBot enables caregivers to break down everyday tasks such as brushing teeth, washing hands and getting dressed into simpler steps via the app, and deliver easy-to-understand instructions through a combination of visual prompts and voice instructions using the compact device.
Beyond serving as a smart assistant that helps individuals with their routines, BuddyBot also taps artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse users’ past actions, to uncover notable patterns in the users’ behaviours (e.g., skipped steps; longer time spent on tasks) and the areas where the users are struggling. By unearthing insights on where users require more support and guidance, the solution can suggest changes to their daily routines and provide timely reminders to help them complete their daily tasks more independently.
“Many young individuals with Down Syndrome face challenges with executive functioning and need constant reminders and support from their caregivers to complete their daily tasks. Our solution, BuddyBot, can help these individuals build independence for their daily routines, and alleviate the burden on their caregivers. By giving families and caregivers a smart assistant that is built with accessibility, empathy and inclusion in mind, we hope to create meaningful impact and help improve the quality of life for families with special needs children,” said Shannon Ong.
“Today, as we face a myriad of complex global and local challenges, it is more important than ever for our youths to step out to champion social change in their respective communities. Samsung Solve for Tomorrow encourages students to think critically about societal issues and harness technology to create meaningful solutions that can make a real difference. I am heartened to see the depth of thinking that each team puts in to create original solutions that address key issues that they personally care about. By inspiring our next generation of leaders to take action and drive change in our society, I believe that they will make a tangible difference and help create a better tomorrow for Singapore,” said Jeffrey Hahn, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore.
Driving Positive Change Through Technology and Innovation
Team Through Their Eyes from Cedar Girls’ Secondary School secured second place with their project – Through Their Eyes – an empathy simulation that promotes inclusive and respectful online behaviour. Through their solution, the team aims to address the rise of cyberbullying and cancel culture by placing students in everyday scenarios to help them understand how hurtful comments can gradually erode self-esteem and lead to isolation. The simulation incorporates visual and audio effects, an emotional health tracker, and recovery options that teach students coping strategies such as reporting abuse or seeking help. Aimed for implementation during Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) lessons with Samsung Gear virtual reality (VR), laptops and smartphones, the simulation encourages empathy and responsible digital conduct by enabling youths to experience first-hand the long-lasting impact of cyberbullying.
The third prize went to Team Pei Pei Hwa Hwa from Pei Hwa Secondary School, who impressed the judges with their Ando Hypohidrosis Vests that help individuals with hypohidrosis, a condition where one struggles to produce sufficient sweat to keep one’s body temperature in check, manage their condition in Singapore’s sweltering climate. Through their solution, the team aims to help individuals with this condition reduce the risk of heat stroke and other heat related injuries as they go about their daily activities. The vests also empower them with the freedom to move, exercise and live actively without fear of overheating.
Team Smart Cane won the People’s Choice Award after receiving the most online votes for their project, Smart Cane – an innovative attachment designed to transform any traditional cane into a multifunctional mobility aid that enhances safety, independence, and confidence for the visually impaired. Equipped with sensors such as an ultrasonic distance detector, accelerometer, and Bluetooth module, the device detects nearby obstacles, monitors sudden movements, and transmits alerts to a connected smartphone app. Caregivers can track the user’s location and receive instant notifications during emergencies. By offering an affordable and user-friendly solution, the team aims to promote inclusivity and empower visually impaired individuals to navigate their surroundings with greater assurance and freedom.
“Technology has the power to break down barriers and unlock limitless potential for our youth, and the projects presented are testament to how today’s youth are leveraging such skills to shape the future. With opportunities to expand their skillsets and exposure to tech industry leaders, we hope that our youths can gain the confidence to pitch innovative solutions to drive social change and real-world impact,” said Karen Lee, Director of Partnership Lab, National Youth Council, and Solve for Tomorrow 2025 judge.
For more information on the Solve for Tomorrow 2025 competition, see Appendix A or visit https://www.samsung.com/sg/solvefortomorrow/.
Appendix A
About Samsung Solve for Tomorrow
The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025 competition in Singapore was launched on 1 July 2025. Designed to ignite the passion for championing social change among youths, the competition provides a platform for secondary school students to express their creativity and passion, and address social issues through technology and innovation.
Competition Overview
Youths aged 12 and above and are full-time Secondary 1 – 5 students in Singapore are eligible for the competition. For students in secondary schools with 6-year Integrated Programme (IP), only full-time students in Secondary 1 – 4 are eligible to participate. The full list of eligible schools is available here.
10 finalist teams were shortlisted to participate in the finals held on 29 October 2025, where they presented their ideas to the following panel of judges:
- Leonard Tan Bahroocha, Director and Head of Product Innovation Team for Samsung Southeast Asia & Oceania
- Karen Lee, Director of Partnership Lab, National Youth Council
- Timothy Low, Chief Operating Officer of Tri-Sector Associates
- Daryl Lee, Head of PR, Social and KOL, Samsung Electronics Singapore
The ideas from the 10 finalist teams were also made available for online voting by the public. The finalist team with the most votes won the People’s Choice Award.
Judging Criteria for Finalist Teams
- 30%: Feasibility – How the solution can be created with technology, and implemented in society to address a present challenge.
- 20%: Creativity – Innovativeness, uniqueness and originality of proposed idea.
- 40%: Impact – Elaboration on the solution’s impact on potential users, and feedback from them on its ability to solve the identified issue.
- 10%: Presentation – Flow and effectiveness of the presentation.
Prizes
- First Prize – Samsung products worth $10,000, $7,000 cash prize, and a trip to South Korea to visit Samsung’s headquarters and innovation facilities
- Second Prize – Samsung products worth S$6,000 and $4,000 cash prize
- Third Prize – Samsung products worth S$3,000 and $2,000 cash prize
- People’s Choice Award: Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro and Galaxy A56 for each team member
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Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, digital signage, smartphones, wearables, tablets, home appliances and network systems, as well as memory, system LSI and foundry. Samsung is also advancing medical imaging technologies, HVAC solutions and robotics, while creating innovative automotive and audio products through Harman. With its SmartThings ecosystem, open collaboration with partners, and integration of AI across its portfolio, Samsung delivers a seamless and intelligent connected experience. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.
Asia’s first Design & Innovation Festival announces its venue and key speakers — where Japanese design expertise meets the cultural diversity of Asia
| Name | SYNC Design & Innovation in SITE 2026 |
| Date | Friday, June 26, 2026 |
| Venue | Paragon Hall, 5th Floor, Siam Paragon, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Admission | Free (advance registration required) |
| Languages | Thai / English / Japanese |
| Website | https://syncforum.asia |
| Organizer | Nikkei Business Publications, Inc. |
| Production & Co-organizers | FOURDIGIT Inc., National Innovation Agency (NIA), Thailand |
| Supported by | Creative Economy Agency (CEA) |
| Production partners | Y’s Connection Inc., J-WAVE, Inc., iDID |
Hashtag: #FOURDIGIT
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Code4Mzansi highlights the growing strength of South Africa’s developer ecosystem and the role of youth-led innovation in shaping the country’s digital future
JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA – Media OutReach Newswire – 26 May 2026 – South Africa’s emerging developers are building close to the ground, with many of the strongest solutions at the inaugural Huawei Code4Mzansi finals focused on systems people use every day: township retail, healthcare, energy, agriculture, payments and the creative economy.
The competition was held in partnership with the Department of Small Business Development. “The Code4Mzansi competition is not just a celebration of achievement, it is a launchpad for the future,” said Minister Stella Ndabeni, whose department co-hosted the event and delivered the closing address.
The finals revealed a clear shift from building abstract digital products to practical tools that help small businesses trade better, communities access services more easily, and local industries solve problems faster.
Four finalist teams focused directly on the township economy, with solutions covering food safety verification for spaza shops, offline point-of-sale systems built for load-shedding, WhatsApp-native marketplaces for informal retailers, and community credit systems for SASSA grant recipients.
Others addressed AI-driven healthcare access, electricity theft detection, smart agriculture, financial infrastructure for the creator economy, and AI-generated African music.
Held at Huawei Office Park in Woodmead, the finals brought together more than 100 attendees, including government representatives, academic partners, industry leaders and media.
“The quality of the finalist solutions demonstrated the potential of local innovation to respond to real market needs,” said Steven Chen, Cloud CEO of Huawei Technologies South Africa.
Academic partners included the University of Pretoria, the University of Johannesburg, the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Cape Town.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and technology is their greatest accelerator. The participants here today are future entrepreneurs who will drive South Africa’s digital economy forward,” said Professor Thokozani Shongwe, Vice Dean of Postgraduate Studies, Research and Internationalisation at the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment.
Industry partner rain also attended. Leon Nortje, Principal and Senior Architect at rain, said the competition offered a strong view of the country’s emerging technology pipeline.
“It is always good to see new projects and new teams working on solutions that are valuable and industry-related. We will be looking out for potential new employees,” said Nortje.
The winners
The finalists competed for a prize pool of R800,000. MAAT by SIMVAK was named the overall grand winner and received the Business Value Award, taking home R300,000. The platform addresses food safety and regulatory compliance in South Africa’s informal retail sector through AI agents, real-time product recall alerts, and counterfeit detection for the spaza shop ecosystem.
“The spaza network is the supply chain for most South African households,” said SIMVAK founder Shingirayi Mandebvu.
HealthHive by FTCK received second prize in the Business Value Award category, taking home R200,000, for its AI telemedicine platform that matches patients with the right medical practitioners based on their symptoms.
Auraa received the Grand Innovation Award for its AI music engine built to generate authentic African sound. The platform has been associated with an album that has crossed one million streams.
The Future Star Award went to e-Khadi, a community credit and stokvel platform giving SASSA grant recipients access to essentials at their local spaza shops, supported by AI-assisted credit scoring and fraud detection.
The People’s Choice Award, voted by the public on Huawei’s social media channels, went to DevRift, a semi-finalist in the competition, who took home R100,000.
Minister Ndabeni delivered the closing address, positioning Code4Mzansi within the government’s agenda for youth entrepreneurship, small business development and digital inclusion.
“Our task is to ensure that innovation does not remain a moment of applause, but becomes a pathway to enterprise creation, digital inclusion, and sustainable growth,” she said.
“Thank you to Huawei for being a perfect partner on the journey that we are travelling, and of course, those that matter most, the developers who dared to compete,” she said.
Code4Mzansi forms part of the global Huawei Cloud Developer Competition. In its inaugural edition, South Africa attracted more participants than any other country: 1,041 across 353 teams, including 176 enterprise teams, resulting in the highest enterprise participation rate among all competing markets. Twenty semi-finalists were selected before the top nine advanced to the final.
For the finalists, the work is just beginning. As Minister Ndabeni said, “Go home today proud. But tomorrow, wake up, build again.”
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About Huawei
Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. With 213,000 employees operating in over 170 countries, we serve more than three billion people worldwide.
Huawei is committed to bringing digital to every person, home, and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world. In 2025, Huawei generated CNY880.9 billion in revenue, reinvesting 21.8% (CNY192.3 billion) into R&D, with about 53.7% of its employees working in R&D. As a private company fully owned by its employees, Huawei focuses on customer-centric innovation and open collaboration to create lasting value and drive technological breakthroughs globally.
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Congratulating Dr Lai on her achievement, John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), said that the HKSAR can “transform from a ‘supporter’ of the country’s great aerospace endeavours into an ‘executor’ “.
“This not only demonstrates the HKSAR’s capability in contributing to the country’s development into an aerospace power, but also showcases how Hong Kong could better integrate into and serve the overall national development,” Mr Lee said.
“This mission is of great significance, as it is not only the first manned spaceflight mission during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, but also the first time for a payload expert from the HKSAR to participate in it.”
The Shenzhou-23 crew will conduct on-orbit rotation with the Shenzhou-21 crew. The crew, including Dr Lai, will stay in the space station and conduct multiple experiments and applications in various fields such as scientific applications.
The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, Professor Sun Dong, led a delegation to the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to witness this historic moment. Members of the delegation included other government representatives, I&T experts, youths and students.
“I truly believe this is a great demonstration of Hong Kong integrating into and serving the overall national development through concrete actions, while contributing our strength in I&T,” Professor Sun said.
” ‘Science and technology is primary productive force, talent is primary resource, and innovation is primary driver of growth.’ The HKSAR Government will continue to drive the development of I&T, accelerate the establishment of an international I&T centre, and make greater contributions to building our nation into a strong power in science, technology, and aerospace.”
Commissioner for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, Mr Ivan Lee, said that the Government had been providing funding support for universities and research institutions in conducting aerospace technology-related projects through the Innovation and Technology Fund.
“In 2024, we launched a special call for funding applications, inviting universities to submit project proposals related to aerospace technology. Following a selection process, we supported six projects. Among them was the Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory (MUSICO) developed by a team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology,” he said.
On the Tiangong Space Station, Dr Lai will conduct experiments including operating the MUSICO — the world’s first lightweight, high-resolution synergistic observatory for carbon dioxide and methane emission point sources.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr Lai is a Superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Force. In the recruitment exercise of China’s fourth batch of preparatory astronauts launched in 2022, she was successfully selected as a payload expert and was deployed to the China Astronaut Research and Training Center for training.
Before embarking on the historic spaceflight, Dr Lai expressed hope that it would inspire more Hong Kong youths to devote themselves to the field of I&T, thereby contributing to the country’s scientific and technological self-reliance and strength.
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