Ridgefield Park, NJ—Samsung announced the five grand prize winners in its Solve for Tomorrow contest, a competition to raise enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education among U.S. public school students. More than 1,600 schools from across the country entered the contest that kicked off in August with an essay submission on how STEM can help the environment in their community.
The five grand prize winners were chosen from 15 finalists selected in February to receive $40,000 in technology from Samsung, Adobe Foundation and DirecTV. The five grand prize winners are: Franklin High School, Los Angeles, California; Leewood K-8 Center, Miami, Florida; Forestview Middle School, Baxter, Minnesota; Arrowhead Park Early College, Las Cruces, New Mexico; and MS 88/Peter Rouget Middle School, Brooklyn, New York.
Franklin High School won the Community Choice Award with nearly 80,000 public online votes; MS 88/ Peter Rouget Middle School won the Samsung Employees Choice Award. The other three winners were chosen by a panel of judges. Each of the five winning schools will receive more than $100,000 in technology products, such as smart boards, LED TVs and laptops. All five winners will be honored in a special Washington, DC, ceremony on April 17.
“The excitement this contest creates is wonderful,” said David Steel, executive vice president, Corporate Strategy, Samsung Electronics North America. “The public voting portion of the contest received a strong response from the online community. That kind of support is fantastic. Congratulations to all the winning schools as well as the other 10 finalists. We hope that the challenge of this contest, together with the technology for winning schools, will help spark students’ passion to pursue careers that help improve the world through STEM.”
As part of their prize package, the schools also have the option to host a community e-waste recycling day through Samsung Recycling Direct, an e-waste program that has recycled more than 250 million pounds of electronic waste in the U.S. since 2008.
The Solve for Tomorrow contest is part of Samsung Hope for Children, the company’s philanthropic initiative focused on helping children lead healthier, smarter and more sustainable lives. The 15 finalist videos can be seen at samsung.com/solvefortomorrow.
