2026 Winners
Congratulations to our 2026 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow winners
Congratulations to Gabriel Anthony and Jack Harker, our first place winners, and to all seven students recognised for their incredible ideas that respond to challenges in their communities.
Real Mahi
Gabriel Anthony — Years 7–10
Gabriel Anthony, a Year 10 student at Whitby Collegiate in Porirua, developed Real Mahi to help teachers assess the authenticity of writing in the age of generative AI. His tool records typing, pasting and editing, providing evidence of how writing was created. Gabriel interviewed teachers and tested the tool with them to refine how it works.
Parley
Jack Harker — Years 11–13
Jack Harker, a Year 11 student at ACG Parnell College in Auckland, developed Parley to help people who struggle to speak take part in real-time conversations. Inspired by his uncle, Jack refined the communication tool through testing and feedback to respond to the needs of the people it is designed to support.
BrainKey
Silas Goh — Years 7–10
Silas Goh, a Year 9 student at Kingsway School in Auckland, won second place in the years 7–10 category for BrainKey. His prototype uses brainwaves as passwords, exploring a way for people who struggle to remember passwords to access their accounts. Silas gathered brainwave data from 47 people to develop and test the system.
Taproot Weed Removal Robot
Jiacheng He — Years 11–13
Jiacheng He, a Year 13 student at Kristin School in Auckland, won second place in the years 11–13 category for his Taproot Weed Removal Robot. He developed a working prototype designed to remove taproot weeds from lawns, using stakeholder feedback and testing to improve the design.
Highly commended
Highly commended in the years 7–10 category went to Luke Huang, a Year 9 student at Rangitoto College in Auckland, for Project FlowMark. His buoy prototype is designed to measure water pollution as it travels downstream.
In the years 11–13 category, James Wang, a Year 12 student at Saint Kentigern College in Auckland, was recognised for Range Runner, a robot designed to make collecting golf balls easier. Izzy Spreitzer, a Year 13 student at Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, was acknowledged for her Sensory Board, an affordable board designed to support outdoor, independent play for children with special needs.
