100 Classrooms Nationwide Advance in $3 Million Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest

Samsung Electronics America, Inc. today announced the 100 State Winners in the 10^th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest– a $3 million* nationwide competition that challenges 6-12 grade students to develop solutions using STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills to ignite change in their communities. Each State Winner school will receive $15,000 in technology and classroom materials and will advance in the contest for the opportunity to win additional prizes and educational opportunities.

In honor of the contest’s 10^thanniversary, Samsung is awarding more schools and providing additional resources, including increasing the prize pool by $1 million. This year, twice as many classrooms are earning the title of State Winner with at least one school in each state** being recognized. Top teams in each state were selected for their outstanding activity plan proposals outlining how students will execute their project using STEM. This year, students and teachers identified issues that are personal to them and critical to their communities, ranging from water quality and recycling to mental health and bullying.

“Samsung is extremely proud of the evolution of the Solve for Tomorrow platform over the past 10 years: fueling students’ passion and curiosity to tackle issues that affect their communities in unexpected and creative ways,” said Ann Woo, Senior Director of Corporate Citizenship at Samsung Electronics America. “Reading the innovative proposals students and teachers have put forth this year exemplifies what we know to be true for every student – that young minds have just as much to teach as they do to learn. Our guiding citizenship vision is ‘Enabling People,’ and we are thrilled to celebrate another year of empowering future innovators to achieve their full potential through STEM learning.”

Over the next two months, State Winners will develop their STEM prototypes and capture their progress using their new Samsung video kit – which includes a Galaxy Note10 smartphone and a Notebook 7 – in addition to their State Winner prize package. Each school will submit a three-minute video that showcases their project in action for a chance to be named one of 20 National Finalist schools in March.

The top 20 schools will travel to the National Finalist Pitch Event in the spring where they will present their project to a panel of judges. For achieving National Finalist status, schools will increase their prize to $50,000 in technology and classroom materials. Selected from this pool, five grand prize National Winner schools will receive a total of $100,000 in technology and classroom materials, and a trip to Washington, D.C. to present their projects to members of Congress. Additionally, one National Finalist will be selected via public voting as the Community Choice Winner and eligible to win an additional $10,000 in Samsung technology.

The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest was created to encourage innovation among young students while addressing the technology skills gap in classrooms across the country. Since its inception in 2010, the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest has awarded $15 million in Samsung technology and classroom materials to more than 2,200 public schools in the United States.

To learn more about the contest, please visit www.samsung.com/solve or follow on Instagram @SolveForTomorrow. For official rules and judging criteria, click here.

2019-2020 Solve for Tomorrow Contest State Winners 

*$3 million prize is based on an estimated retail value. 

**Includes all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Schools from Maryland and Washington, D.C. were eligible for the Maryland/D.C. State Winner award.