Entries open for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025

Wednesday, 30 April 2025

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is returning for its fifth year, in partnership with the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) and Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ). This year's competition highlights the critical role of teachers in developing design thinking skills, with teachers of winning entries receiving $1,000 from the prize pool.

Julie Baker, Head of Education at MOTAT and Solve for Tomorrow judge, says recognising the contribution teachers make to student innovation was a key driver behind the change to prize allocation. "We know just how influential teachers are in inspiring and guiding our tamariki, and this updated prize allocation is our way of giving back and recognising their incredible effort. Solve for Tomorrow is all about fostering creativity and real-world problem solving, and we're thrilled to now acknowledge the teachers who support students every step of the way.”

Solve for Tomorrow 2025 offers a prize pool of $24,000 in cash and Samsung technology for winning students, their teachers, and schools.

To enter, students must harness the power of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths) and design thinking to develop innovative solutions aimed at creating a brighter future for Aotearoa.

Samsung is delighted to welcome back its VIP judging panel for 2025, featuring Dr Joel Rindelaub and Dr Siouxsie Wiles, alongside Sarah Washbrooke, Deputy Chair of TENZ, and Julie Baker.

Dr Siouxsie Wiles is thrilled to return as a judge for the 2025 competition.

“Judging Solve for Tomorrow is genuinely one of the highlights of my year. I absolutely love seeing the creative, thoughtful ideas our tamariki come up with - it gives me so much hope for the future. Every entry is a reminder of how bright, curious, and capable our young people are, and I can’t wait to see what this year’s cohort brings to the table,” says Wiles.

Gabriel Anthony and Logan Gardiner wowed the judges in the 2024 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition with their inventive, community-focused solutions.

Gabriel, a Year 8 student from Whitby Collegiate in Wellington, took out the Year 7 to 10 category with Pill Bot, an AI powered medication identifier designed to help visually impaired people, inspired by his grandmother’s own experience.

In the Year 11 to 13 category, Logan, a student at Burnside High School in Christchurch, impressed with Enviro Saver, a self-powered device engineered to clean rubbish and debris from local waterways.

Simon Smith, Head of Brand Marketing at Samsung Electronics New Zealand, is looking forward to seeing what Kiwi students are working on for this year’s competition.

"Last year’s entries were truly outstanding. The creativity, passion and problem-solving shown by our young people was inspiring, and Samsung is incredibly proud to both host and champion a competition that celebrates Kiwi ingenuity. We have no doubt this year’s students will continue to raise the bar.”

Entries are now open for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2025. All students in years 7 to 13 are invited to participate, either individually or in teams.

Students who submit a project plan by 23 June 2025 can benefit from valuable feedback from our VIP judges to help refine their final entries and go in the draw to win a Samsung TV.

Final submissions are due by 19 September 2025.

Alternatively, if students have already developed an innovative solution as part of an existing school project, they are welcome to repurpose it and enter it now.

The winning individual or team for Solve for Tomorrow 2025 will be announced prior to the awards ceremony on 30 October 2025.

To find out more, visit: https://www.motat.nz/solve-for-tomorrow/samsung-solve-for-tomorrow-competition/

ENDS

About Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

Delivered in partnership with the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT), the Solve for Tomorrow competition is designed to build interest and proficiency in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics). The nationwide competition tasks students in years 7-13 to identify and create a solution for an issue important to them and their community, which are then judged on creativity and originality, relevance to the community, feasibility of the solution, presentation, and application of STEAM.

This is Samsung Solve for Tomorrow’s fifth year in New Zealand. Launched in the US in 2010, the competition has been hugely influential internationally, with more than 1.7 million students and teachers participating across 20 countries. Read more about the competition here.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com

About the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT)

MOTAT seeks to use the past, present and future technology and ingenuity of Aotearoa to educate and inspire the innovators of tomorrow. MOTAT provides multi-platform learning opportunities, offering STEAM Cells programmes in schools, onsite education programmes at the Museum, micro-credentials and online workshops direct to the classroom. Experience interactive learning and exploration through exhibitions, events and education programmes. Visit MOTAT.NZ

About TENZ

Technology Education New Zealand (TENZ) is a non profit professional, collaborative association, promoting and supporting all levels of technology education in Aotearoa New Zealand.

TENZ is organised by teachers for teachers and our aim is to enhance the learning and teaching of technology by creating a well informed, well connected, supportive, and sustainable professional community that has a strong voice and provides effective advocacy for technology education. Visit TENZ.

For more information, please contact:

Simon Wells, Acumen on behalf of Samsung Electronics New Zealand

M: 022 506 2982 E: swells@acumennz.com

Julie Baker, MOTAT

M: 021 540 463 E: Julie.Baker@motat.org.nz