Samsung Solve for Tomorrow has named seven New Zealand student innovators as prize winners or highly commended entrants, recognising projects that address communication, education, accessibility and environmental issues.
Top prizes went to Gabriel Anthony of Whitby Collegiate in Porirua and Jack Harker of ACG Parnell College in Auckland in the two age categories of the nationwide competition, run with the Museum of Transport and Technology and Technology Education New Zealand.
Anthony, a Year 10 student, won the years 7-10 category for Real Mahi, a tool that records how a piece of writing is created by tracking typing, pasting and editing. It is intended to give teachers evidence to help assess whether work is authentic in the context of generative AI.
He developed the project through teacher interviews and testing, and previously won the same category in 2024 with a project called Pill Bot.
Harker, a Year 11 student, won the years 11-13 category for Parley, a communication tool designed to help people who struggle to speak take part in real-time conversations. The idea was inspired by his uncle, who has cerebral palsy, and the tool was refined through testing and feedback.
He also won previously, taking the junior category in 2025 with Sail Race Tracker.
Other winners
Second place in the years 7-10 category went to Silas Goh, a Year 9 student at Kingsway School in Auckland, for BrainKey. His prototype uses brainwaves as passwords and explores an alternative for people who find it difficult to remember conventional logins.
Competition organisers said Goh gathered brainwave data from 47 people while developing and testing the system.
Second place in the years 11-13 category went to Jiacheng He, a Year 13 student at Kristin School in Auckland, for the Taproot Weed Removal Robot. He built a working prototype intended to remove taproot weeds from lawns and modified the design through stakeholder feedback and testing.
Three highly commended projects were also recognised. Luke Huang, a Year 9 student at Rangitoto College in Auckland, was commended in the years 7-10 category for Project FlowMark, a free-floating buoy designed to measure water pollution as it moves downstream.
In the senior category, James Wang, a Year 12 student at Saint Kentigern College in Auckland, was recognised for Range Runner, a robot intended to make golf ball collection easier. Izzy Spreitzer, a Year 13 student at Mount Albert Grammar School, was commended for Sensory Board, an outdoor play board designed for independent use and informed by her work with children with special needs.
Prize pool
The competition's prize pool totals $24,000 in cash and Samsung technology. Teachers and schools linked to the winning projects will also receive a share.
Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is open to students in years 7 to 13 and asks them to identify an issue affecting them or their community, then create a response using design thinking and STEAM subjects. This is the programme's sixth year in New Zealand.
The judging panel included Dr Joel Rindelaub and Dr Siouxsie Wiles from the University of Auckland, Dr Ratu Mataira of OpenStar Technologies, Julie Baker, Head of Education at MOTAT, and Sarah Washbrooke from TENZ.
Baker said the standard of entries made the result close across categories.
"This year was our toughest competition yet, with only a few points separating first, second and highly commended.
"Our winners were able to clearly demonstrate a need and purpose for their ideas, as well as show how they were tested and refined using real-world feedback. However, all the entries were incredible, and it really challenged the judges when marking. This competition has gone from strength to strength since launching in 2021, and we're excited to see what next year's competition will bring when it launches at the start of term 2, 2027," said Julie Baker, Head of Education at MOTAT.
Simon Smith of Samsung said the entries reflected strong interest in applying science and technology to practical problems.
"Solve for Tomorrow continues to showcase the incredible creativity and problem-solving spirit of our tamariki and rangatahi. It's inspiring to see the next generation using STEAM to develop ideas that could make a positive difference in their communities. Every year we're amazed by the energy entrants bring. Samsung is proud to support young Kiwi innovators, and we look forward to seeing how they continue to develop their ideas," said Simon Smith, Head of Brand Marketing at Samsung Electronics New Zealand.