Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow returns for its fourth year in the Philippines, continuing its mission of empowering young Filipino students to leverage science and technology and contribute meaningful change. With the support of the Department of Education (DepEd), Samsung invites STEM students to be the voice of their own communities and propose innovative solutions to challenges they see and  experience around them.

Entering its 16th year, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is a global competition that empowers young changemakers to tackle real-world challenges through STEM-based solutions. 

Open to students in Grades 8 to 10 from government-managed Science High Schools across the Philippines, Solve for Tomorrow gives students the opportunity to bring their ideas forward and turn them into meaningful solutions.

Samsung will recognize the winning teams, schools, and teacher advisers with almost PHP 2 million worth of prizes, including the Grand Prize valued at PHP 730,000, Second Prize at PHP 595,000, and Third Prize at PHP 465,000. The remaining teams shortlisted in the Top 10 will each receive PHP 20,000 in cash prizes. 

How to Join

Each team will consist of up to four students and one teacher-adviser, working together to develop a STEM-focused proposal that addresses a community, social change, or environmental sustainability challenge. Proposals may be submitted using a standardized format in Word, up to 3,000 words or seven pages, or PowerPoint, with a maximum of six slides. All entries must be submitted as PDF files not exceeding 40 MB.

Teams are encouraged to think creatively and explore how technology can help turn their ideas into practical solutions that can make a difference in their communities. Students may explore one of the following themes:

Under Environmental Sustainability through Technology, students are encouraged to use STEM to find creative ways to reuse, recycle, and transform materials into valuable products, helping reduce waste and promote more sustainable practices.

Meanwhile, under Social Change through Tech and Sport, students can harness the power of technology and sports to support education, entrepreneurship, and social inclusion, creating new opportunities and a brighter future for the youth.

Lastly, under Solving Community Problems with AI, students can explore how AI can be used to develop innovative and practical solutions to challenges in their communities, while fostering critical thinking, social responsibility, and meaningful impact.

The Deadline for Entry submissions is on 02 November, 2026 at 11:59 PM via https://www.samsung.com/ph/solve-for-tomorrow/.

Entries will be evaluated based on design innovation, relevance to the community, feasibility, STEM integration, sustainability and clarity of proposal.

The top 10 shortlisted entries will be announced on 16 November 2026, and will receive mentoring from a Samsung coach to refine their solutions. These teams will then present their final proposals to a distinguished board of judges on 07 December 2026.  The top three teams will be announced on 15 December 2026, and awarded by Samsung Philippines.

What’s at Stake

The Grand Prize winner will receive Php 400,000.00 worth of Samsung devices for their school, Php 200,000.00 worth of Samsung devices for the students and their teacher, Php 100,000.00 in cash for the team members, and Php 30,000.00 in cash for their teacher.

Meanwhile, the Second Prize winner will take home Php 300,000.00 worth of Samsung devices for their school, Php 200,000.00 worth of Samsung devices for the team and their teacher, Php 70,000.00 in cash for the team members, and Php 25,000.00 in cash for the teacher.

Finally, the Third Prize winner will receive Php 200,000.00 worth of Samsung devices for their school, Php 200,000.00 worth of Samsung devices for the team and their teacher, Php 50,000.00 in cash for the team, and Php 15,000.00 in cash for the teacher.

The remaining teams in the top 10 will receive Php 15,000.00 in cash for their team and Php 5,000.00 for their teacher.

Enabling Changemakers

Since its launch in the Philippines in 2023, Solve for Tomorrow has empowered participating schools, students, and teachers to bring innovative ideas to life and create meaningful impact in their communities. Among them is last year’s winning entry from Cavite Science Integrated School, which introduced a solar-powered, water-quality sensing buoy for monitoring mangrove ecosystem health. Other notable innovations include an egg-segregation solution and a sustainable low-cost pest control solution designed to help farmers reduce their reliance on chemicals. 

As AI advances, Solve for Tomorrow encourages young Filipinos to use technology thoughtfully and responsibly, turning new ideas into solutions for challenges in their communities. Through these themes, Samsung continues to inspire students to imagine, create, and lead the way toward a better tomorrow. 

To participate in this year’s Solve for Tomorrow, please visit  https://www.samsung.com/ph/solve-for-tomorrow/. You can also follow Samsung Philippines on social media for the latest updates: Facebook – www.facebook.com/SamsungPH, X – www.x.com/SamsungPH, Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/samsungph/#.

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Throughout Samsung’s history, we have made it our mission to devote our talent and technology in creating innovative products and services that contribute to the betterment of global society. As a global leader in technology, we also have a responsibility to leverage our innovations, skill and knowledge to bridge the widening digital divide and give more youths the opportunity to reap the benefits of digitalization.

Within the Southeast Asia and Oceania (SEAO) region, we are seeing rapid growth in the digital economy. This is fueled by factors such as increasing mobile penetration and social media usage, a booming e-commerce market, strong government push towards digitalization, and importantly, a population of young digital natives.

Youths are the future drivers for the region, both as consumers and innovators. As we celebrate Samsung Electronics’ 54^th anniversary globally on November 1^st, we remain committed to empowering our youth to meet the demands of the ever-evolving world, while at the same time, uplifting communities across the SEAO region.

Global programs with local impact

In the spirit of co-prosperity, we are committed to doing our part as a socially and environmentally responsible corporate citizen in the communities that we are in, and as champions of innovation, we continually push ourselves to do better in inspiring the next generation through technology. This year, we are excited to see Solve for Tomorrow (SFT), our global flagship STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) -based student competition, expand to more markets in SEAO, including Indonesia and the Philippines. SFT is also making headway in the Pacific Islands, with Samoa and Tonga kick-starting local editions for the very first time in August this year.

More than 500 students in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, participated in a SFT workshop in June 2023.

The 2023 edition of SFT is still ongoing in several SEAO markets, but we are already seeing massive momentum in the region, with projects covering creative solutions to address real-life challenges in a variety of themes including environment and sustainability, learning and education, wellness, and healthcare, and more. Beyond the technical competition element, our young participants also receive training in soft skills required for the future workforce, including the 4Cs of 21^st Century Skills – Communication, Collaboration, Critical thinking, and Creativity.

We estimate that over 110,000 students and over 1,000 schools are benefiting from this program so far this year, through the competition, online and offline workshops, and other SFT-related activities.

For the 2021 edition of Solve for Tomorrow in Australia, students were encouraged to create fun videos that presented social issues of personal relevance while highlighting STEM-based solutions. Tasmania-based Meg Phillips emerged as the overall winner, driven by her passion for animal conservation, with an RFID-based system to warn animals of approaching cars, with the aim of reducing wildlife casualties, as well as to keep drivers safe.

Recently, Samsung New Zealand announced its SFT 2023 winners. I am especially heartened by the winning submissions that are the embodiment of why we continue to dedicate our efforts for communities through this program. For example, 12-year old Thomas Costar’s hydro turbine mechanism that helps to generate electricity through household drainage systems – the scientific approach that he took is a great example of perseverance and design thinking.

Samsung Innovation Campus participants in Cambodia working diligently under the guidance of mentors.

Beyond encouraging innovative thinking with SFT, we also want to empower the next generation with practical skills needed for success in an increasingly digital world. This is where Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) comes into play. Through SIC, we want to help youth develop real-world skills in the areas of AI, IoT, big data, and coding through formalized training programs, alongside other activities like Innovation Hackathons and IoT Bootcamps.

Since first launching in Indonesia and Vietnam in 2019, we continue to ramp up our work in SEAO. This year, we are excited to add Cambodia and Laos to the program roster. To date, we estimate that over 8,000 students are participating in the program from 135 schools across Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam, along with significant interest from a number of national universities too. We are encouraged by the incredibly positive feedback received from students on how the SIC program has helped change their perspectives towards data science, as well as helping them better navigate their education journey.

We are immensely appreciative and humbled by all the cooperation, support, and the sharing of information and learnings from the various governmental agencies and educational organizations who have graciously partnered with us on this journey. These partnerships ensure that the local editions are tailored for the unique education needs of each community, enhancing the learning experience for students, and amplify the program’s impact across the region by increasing awareness of it and supporting its rollout in the markets.

There is no doubt that having passion for education played a significant role in the remarkable success that we have achieved in the spirit of co-creation with initiatives like SFT and SIC.

As an added plus, the activation of programs like SFT and SIC created more opportunities for Samsung to further contribute to local communities and education. For example, this year in Indonesia, we signed two agreements, one is with the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Republic Indonesia to roll out the ‘Samsung Digital for Indonesia’ program in support of the local smart madrasah program, and the other one with the Institute of Technology Bandung for developing digital technology on sustainable environmental conservation.

Looking to the next 54 years and beyond

At Samsung, we passionately believe that doing good is in fact, good business. We are committed to ongoing community engagements and impactful contributions, to continue growing with the SEAO region. At the same time, we look forward to working together with future generations of innovators, encouraging them to be bold and push the boundaries of innovation to shape a brighter future – not just for the next 54 years, but for generations to come.

In partnership with the Department of Education, Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow is an innovative competition that fosters critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and teamwork to encourage social innovation ideas that address pressing community issues.

Samsung Philippines presents a Certificate of Appreciation to the Department of Education for the Solve for Tomorrow partnership. In the photo are: (L-R) Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (SEPCO) Chief Financial Officer Taekyun Kim, Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (SEPCO) President Minsu Chu, Department of Education Director IV Margarita Ballesteros, Samsung Electro- Mechanics Philippines (SEMPHIL) President Hangkyu Cho, and Samsung R&D Institute Philippines (SRPH) Managing Director Yongduk Hwang.

Since its global launch in 2010, Solve for Tomorrow has provided an opportunity for students worldwide to turn their imaginative ideas into practical solutions. It aims to empower STEM students to share and realize their ideas to solve societal challenges and make an impact in their local communities.

The competition offers a unique learning experience, enabling participants to leverage their STEM expertise and acquire valuable skills throughout the entire journey. As of 2020, the CSR program has benefited over 2 million people and expanded to over 50 markets, including the Philippines in 2023.

STEM in the Philippines

In the 2022 edition of the Global Innovation Index, which measures economic progress and competitiveness, the Philippines slipped eight spots to rank 59th in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) scales in reading, math, and science.

In the first participation of the Philippines in the PISA in 2018, Filipino students ranked the lowest in reading comprehension among 79 countries and second lowest in both mathematical and scientific literacy.

Mr. Minsu Chu, president of Samsung Philippines, stated that the company is committed to giving back to the community through STEM education. “Every young person deserves to unlock his or her full potential, regardless of circumstances. Samsung believes in developing young minds and equipping them with resources and opportunities that nurture their dreams, so they can generate positivity that also inspires fellow young people,” said Mr. Chu.

Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation President Minsu Chu (SEPCO) delivers the welcome remarks at Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow launch.

How to join

Targeted towards the youth who are taking on the STEM track from Grades 8-12, the Solve for Tomorrow program aims to enhance the students’ technical and 4C skills (cooperation, communication, creativity and critical thinking).

Interested applicants, which should consist of students and a teacher, can submit an application through the official Samsung website. Entries are welcome from individuals or teams with a maximum of eight (8) members. Schools may enter as many individuals or teams.

Applicants are required to submit a written plan (maximum of 1,000 words) about the issue or problem they wish to solve, a poster or diagram of their plan, a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation (maximum of 10 slides), or a 5-minute video presentation.

Solve for Tomorrow will run in three stages from May to December. Qualified entries will go through a preliminary round in June. Shortlisted teams will move to the semi-final round that will last until October where they will be subjected to workshops and mentorship in order for the teams to build a prototype of their solution. Only five (5) teams will advance to the final round. During the final round in December, the students will present their prototypes to a panel of judges and three (3) individuals or teams will be announced as winners.

Prizes worth over P1.5 million await the winners including their respective teachers and schools. Stay tuned for further contest updates to be announced soon.