Young Aussies win big in Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow 2024

Samsung Electronics Australia has announced the winners of its 2024 Solve for Tomorrow competition, highlighting the innovative skills and solutions of young Australians.

Bradley Cox from the Gold Coast has been awarded the top prize for creating Exam Insights, a platform that centralises past exam papers into accessible question banks for Year 12 Queensland external exams. With his co-founder, Jason Zhong, Cox developed this tool to benefit educators and students by simplifying the study process. The platform, launched in late 2023, has already aided over 22,000 users across Queensland.

As the winner, Bradley Cox has secured AUD $10,000 to enhance the platform with additional features and services, expand its reach across Australia, and form strategic partnerships.

Expressing his gratitude, Cox stated, "What began as a tool to solve our own problem quickly grew into a platform designed to empower classrooms everywhere. Being selected as the winner of Samsung's Solve for Tomorrow competition is an incredible honour and validation of our work and impact on students and educators alike. STEM is an incredible field where curiosity and creativity come together to create solutions that matter. To young Aussies interested in studying STEM, I say start small, learn as you go, and don't be afraid to fail—it's all part of the process. Most importantly, focus on how your skills can help others. That's where the real impact lies, and that's what makes the journey worthwhile."

In the runner-up category for ages 19-24, Keziah Furnell from Townsville was recognised for STEM Sisterhood, a business aimed at encouraging young girls and women in regional areas to participate in STEM through workshops. Furnell's initiative, inspired after witnessing gender disparity in her university engineering cohort, seeks to make STEM subjects relatable and accessible. She has received AUD $5,000 to expand her workshops into more regional towns, invest in scientific equipment, and engage with female STEM experts for hosting these workshops.

Furnell commented, "I was inspired to tackle the issue of underrepresentation of regional and public-school female STEM students when I walked into my first university engineering lecture and discovered only 12 women out of 120 students. I wanted to make girls see from a young age that the 'play' they engage in is science that has real scientific pathways. I am so grateful to be chosen as a recipient of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition and would advise any young Australians interested in studying STEM to go for it—your ideas are valid and important, and anyone has the capacity to change the world."

Shuwei Guo from Sydney won in the 14-18 age category with his concept for Enlight, a free, AI-powered educational platform tailored to individual learning styles. He aims to address educational inequality and plans to use his AUD $5,000 prize for developing a pilot program and a volunteer network.

Guo shared, "I was inspired to tackle educational inequality after seeing firsthand how limited access to quality learning resources can impact students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Something imperative to my design and iteration processes was making a product that you and your friends would genuinely and consistently use—not 'just' another mediocre GPT wrapper. My formative experiences as a student taught me examples of how much personalised, engaging educational content can have a poignant impact in helping students reach their full potential, and I'm grateful to Samsung for the opportunity to showcase how technology can be used to create positive change in our communities."

The winners also received Samsung productivity packs that included a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5 5G or Galaxy A55 5G, a 32" Smart Monitor M70D UHD, and Galaxy Buds2. Brett Turnbull, Director of Corporate Marketing at Samsung Electronics Australia and a member of the judging panel, remarked, "At Samsung, we're dedicated to empowering young Australians to turn their innovative ideas into impactful solutions. This year's entries showcased the remarkable creativity and purpose-driven mindset of this generation, with participants tackling a diverse range of issues with passion and ingenuity. It's inspiring to see the potential of STEM in helping develop meaningful change and shape a better future for all."

Dr Kirsten Banks, an astrophysicist, STEM advocate, and ambassador for the Solve for Tomorrow 2024 event, reflected on the competition's impact, "I'm continually inspired by the ingenuity and passion of young Australians, and it was exciting to see that firsthand in the submissions. The Solve for Tomorrow 2024 entries demonstrate the power of STEM to address real-world challenges, and the innovative solutions shared make me excited to see what comes next from these bright and curious minds."