About

Participation is restricted to students enrolled in publicly funded schools — including charter schools deriving at least 50% of funding from public sources — in grades 6–12; private school students are not eligible. Applications must be submitted by a teacher or school administrator, not by students directly. Teams develop a STEM-centered project concept addressing a real community need, submitting an initial project statement in the fall. Schools selected as State Winners receive $1,000 in classroom resources and a video kit to document their project; from those, 10 National Finalist schools are chosen, each receiving $50,000 in Samsung technology and classroom supplies. National Finalists then complete working prototypes and present to a live judging panel at an in-person pitch event, typically held in Washington, D.C. in the spring. Three National Winners are selected by judges and receive $100,000 in prizes for their schools; an additional winner is selected by Samsung employee vote and one by public online voting, each receiving $10,000. All prizes are awarded as Samsung technology and classroom resources to the school — not as cash to individual students.

The competition's community impact focus is what distinguishes it from research-based STEM competitions and makes it the right fit for a specific kind of student. National finalist status — reached by 10 schools from a field that has included more than 27,000 entries — is a genuine and selective credential, and the projects that reach the finals demonstrate applied STEM thinking, prototype development, and community problem-solving rather than individual scientific research. For public school students with entrepreneurial instincts and a drive to address local problems through technology, Solve for Tomorrow is the most visible and well-resourced national platform available.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow is the right competition for a public school student who wants to apply STEM to a real community problem — the credential is built on execution and social impact, and national finalist status signals exactly the kind of collaborative, community-oriented innovation that stands out on applications alongside more traditional STEM research credentials.