On April 28th, Samsung virtually assembled the 10 National Finalists of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. Three students from each school were allotted ten minutes to present their visionary approach to tackling challenges within their communities by applying STEM thinking, showcase their prototypes, and participate in a quickfire Q&A session with an esteemed panel of judges.

Now in its 11th year, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a national 6th-12th grade public school classroom competition that’s challenging young minds to create empathetic, real-world solutions for salient societal issues. Much like many initiatives during the pandemic, the 2020-2021 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competition transitioned to fully remote. Samsung programmed engaging digital workshops in parallel to the competition for teachers and students, offering Teacher to Teacher Mentorship Panels, a Virtual Escape Room Team-Building Experience, and a Samsung PowerUp Series spanning wellness and gaming, among other topics. And, for the first time ever, the virtual Final Pitch event was livestreamed and open to the public, including family, fellow educators and classmates, and community members.

The 10 National Finalist projects in this year’s competition boldly addressed some of the most critical social problems, including several COVID-19-related matters; social justice and accountability; school safety and violence prevention; hunger and food insecurity; urban sustainability; accessibility for the visually impaired; and mental wellbeing for senior isolation. To bring their projects to life, hundreds of students across the country worked tirelessly behind the scenes with their teachers, community leaders, Solve for Tomorrow alumni guides, and Samsung employee mentors to build prototypes, learn to code, create mobile apps, develop efficient UX designs, and beyond. What’s more is that while these students were completing their projects, they were also in the midst of a challenging school year, navigating virtual, hybrid or in-person instruction.

“While the pandemic created extraordinary challenges for middle and high school learning, we’re deeply moved and encouraged by the resiliency and cutting-edge creativity of the students and teachers who chose to compete – and compete BIG – in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition,” said Ann Woo, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship, Samsung Electronics America. “The National Finalists approached the issues we face as a society head-on, and I’m blown away by the forward-thinking solutions presented”.

Participating students and teachers, as well as the judges, sounded off on their experience thus far in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition:

The students –

The teachers –

The judges –

Each of the 10 National Finalists has already received $65,000* in Samsung technology and classroom supplies. Three Grand Prize Winners will ultimately take home $130,000* each in Samsung technology and classroom supplies. And the general public will get to elect two Community Choice Winners from the pool of National Finalists, who receive $15,000* for their school. Tune in on May 18th at 6:00 p.m. EDT to find out which of the 10 National Finalists will become the winners of the 11th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition.