Shawn Wong, Deputy Director (Youth & Sector), Partnership Lab, National Youth Council;
Jeffrey Hahn, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore; Leonard Tan Bahroocha, Head of Lifestyle Lab, Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia & Oceania; Linda Salleh, Head of Community, and the ten teams with their mentors.

Samsung Electronics Singapore announced Team Samsong from Temasek Secondary School as the Grand Prize winner of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2026 competition. Comprising Saanvi Gupta, Ayesha Nadya, Malyanah Rizwana, and Sakeenah Banu, the team impressed the judges with their solution, WristAssured, a smartwatch app that helps students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) recognise and manage moments of distress, to support greater independence and inclusion in mainstream schools. As the Grand Prize winner, Team Samsong walked away with S$7,000 in cash and S$10,000 worth of Samsung products, enabling the team to further refine their solution to make a meaningful impact on the local community.

The second prize went to Team EcoLogic from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) for EcoLogic – a smart waste sorting solution, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help students make better recycling decisions before disposal. The third prize went to Team SafeSignals from Pei Hwa Secondary School for their ACRN SafeSignal – a smart wearable safety system that aims to help non-verbal autistic children receive help during emergencies.

“As society faces increasingly complex challenges, empowering our youths to think boldly and drive meaningful change is more important than ever. Through Samsung Solve for Tomorrow, we encourage students to tackle real-world challenges and harness technology to create solutions that make a difference. I am inspired by the creativity, determination and sense of purpose demonstrated by this year’s teams. By nurturing young innovators today, we hope to inspire the next generation of changemakers to shape a better tomorrow for Singapore,” said Jeffrey Hahn, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore.

Standing out against a pool of 116 entries submitted by students from secondary and international schools, the winning teams won the hearts of the judges with their ingenuity and grit to make a real difference in our society. The judging panel – comprising Jeffrey Hahn, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore; Shawn Wong, Deputy Director (Youth & Sector), Partnership Lab, National Youth Council; Linda Salleh, Head of Community, Halogen Foundation Singapore; and Leonard Tan Bahroocha, Head of Lifestyle Lab, Samsung Electronics Southeast Asia & Oceania – were particularly impressed by how the winning teams harnessed technology to solve real-world challenges, coming up with practical solutions to address the needs of diverse communities.

Supporting Students with Special Education Needs to Foster Greater Independence and Inclusion

Jeffrey Hahn, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore and Team Samsong with their prize (left) and an introduction to the key features of the WristAssured smartwatch app (right).

Passionate about enhancing support for students with SEN, Team Samsong received the Grand Prize for WristAssured, a smartwatch app that detects early signs of distress and helps foster greater independence and inclusion for such students in mainstream schools. Leveraging on the built-in sensors of the Samsung Galaxy Watch, WristAssured analyses key indicators such as heart rate, heart rate variability, sweat activity, skin temperature and movement to identify potential signs of stress based on each user’s individual baseline and the activity they are involved in at the time.

When signs of stress are detected, WristAssured checks in on the user’s feelings and provides gentle vibrations and visual calming prompts. If signs of distress persist, SEN Officers or teachers will be alerted via the app’s Pattern Alert Centre to provide appropriate support to the affected student. Staff will be able to log check-in outcomes or actions taken, monitor students’ charts, as well as see their current location to respond to the students efficiently. Adaptive baseline algorithms can also be adjusted through the app’s section of Monitoring and Sensitivity Settings.

“Students with special educational needs face challenges that can be hard to manage in a mainstream school setting. From navigating busy surroundings, to overcoming gaps in communication and putting in extra effort to be part of the community, these students need more support in order to thrive in our schools,” said Saanvi Gupta. “As a team, we believe that technology should adapt to the individual rather than have the individual adapt to the technology. Our solution, WristAssured, detects early signs of distress and provides strategies that help students calm down and seek early support. By offering students a discreet and accessible tool to better manage moments of distress, we hope to help them feel more confident and independent while creating a more inclusive school environment.”

Igniting Meaningful Change Through Technology and Innovation

Team Ecologic receiving their prize from Shawn Wong, Deputy Director (Youth & Sector), Partnership Lab, National Youth Council (left) and an image of their EcoLogic prototype (right).

Team EcoLogic from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) secured second place with their project – EcoLogic – a smart waste sorting solution that uses AI to help students make better recycling decisions before disposal. Designed to help to reduce contamination at source, the system uses a camera and a Python/TensorFlow AI model to classify waste as plastic, paper, metal, glass or general waste, before providing immediate preparation guidance and directing it to the appropriate compartment for disposal.

Its EcoLogic Assist feature guides users to remove, prepare or clean, and rescan recyclables to prevent contamination, while the Confidence-Aware Sorting feature prevents automatic sorting when AI confidence falls below 80%, prompting users to remove and check recyclables. Compared to other smart-bin prototypes that the team has studied, this solution aims to involve humans in the loop, so the students can be educated on proper recycling methods. By combining AI-powered classification with real-time guidance and automated sorting, EcoLogic helps students confidently identify the correct disposal method for unfamiliar or potentially contaminated waste.

Team SafeSignals receiving their prize from Linda Salleh, Head of Community (left) and
an introduction to the key features of their ACRN SafeSignal smart wearable safety system (right).

Team SafeSignals from Pei Hwa Secondary School won third place with their innovation, ACRN SafeSignal – a smart wearable safety system designed to support nonspeaking autistic children who may face difficulties seeking help during emergencies. The solution integrates a smart wearable device, GPS tracking, geofencing technology, a caregiver application, and an Anonymous Community Rescue Network (ACRN) to identify potential safety risks and coordinate timely assistance. Through location monitoring and risk-based alerts, SafeSignal notifies caregivers when a child may be in danger.

The wearable also features simple, button-based responses, allowing children to indicate whether they are safe, lost, or need help without relying on speech. Caregivers can then view the child’s location and request assistance from verified nearby responders when necessary. The team also responded to feedback sought from experts to consider privacy and individual sensory needs by providing flexible wearing options and an ACRN protocol to guide trusted nearby helpers on how to approach a lost child safely.

A Decade of Nurturing Youth Innovation

Marking its 10^th year in Singapore, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow continues on its mission to inspire young minds to turn real-world challenges into meaningful solutions that make a positive impact on their society. Since its introduction in Singapore, the competition has provided a platform for students to apply their knowledge in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), problem-solving skills, and determination to ignite change and shape a better future for all.

For more information on the Solve for Tomorrow competition, visit https://www.samsung.com/sg/solvefortomorrow/