Grade 10 and 11 public school learners have until March 6 to enter the 2026 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow (SFT) competition. This year marks the first time the competition includes quintile 5 schools - making it more inclusive and nationally representative than before.
This is a transformative experience for learners’ personal development and career aspirations — empowering those with critical skills to innovate and solve real-world problems.
The SFT competition, launched in SA in 2023, encourages innovative thinking and problem solving for Gen Zs to build sustainable solutions through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
Learners are invited to submit their innovative STEM-based solutions to help tackle community challenges. Entrants will use STEM principles, thus improving their analytical abilities, and will gain professional guidance from Samsung employees.
Driving youth-led innovation
The SFT competition aims to reduce skills gaps, encourage youth-led innovation and show young South Africans that their ideas have value and real-world impact.
This global initiative envisions a country where young people are not just job seekers, but solution creators who contribute meaningfully to inclusive growth and sustainable development.
2026 competition theme
Based on Social Change Through Sports and Technology and Environmental Sustainability via Technology, this year’s competition seeks to foster innovation among high school learners from underprivileged backgrounds throughout SA.
With the social change through sports and tech theme, the power of sport as a unifying force in SA will be observed. When combined with technology, sports become a tool for inclusion, youth development, health and community building.
This theme encourages young innovators to use digital platforms, data and smart solutions to improve access to sports, develop talent, promote wellness and create safer and more connected communities. It’s about using technology to amplify the positive social impact of sport beyond the field.
The environmental sustainability through technology theme addresses SA’s urgent environmental challenges, including climate change, water scarcity, waste management and energy access.
This theme invites young people to develop tech-driven solutions that protect natural resources, promote renewable energy and support sustainable living.
It signifies a shift towards responsible innovation using technology not just for convenience, but to secure a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come.
Empowering learners through mentorships
Lefa Makgato, corporate social responsibility manager for Samsung Electronics in SA, says the brand is inviting more South African public schools to enter this competition so that learners can gain exposure and networking opportunities.
“We believe this will help them connect with industry leaders and our Samsung mentors, aiding their transition to tertiary studies.
“By engaging in this year’s incredible themes, as well as fostering innovation and providing critical skills for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), public school learners who enter the 2026 SFT competition have an opportunity for their lives to be significantly impacted and transformed in more positive ways,” she says.
The SFT competition is an opportunity for learners to turn their ideas into action.
Exciting prizes and future benefits
Teams stand a chance to win exciting prizes and the recognition as SA’s next generation of innovators and problem-solvers. First prize is R100,000 worth of STEM equipment for their school, with the second and third prizes winning R50,000 and R30,000 respectively.
Prizes also include Samsung devices for learners on the top three teams to help them to further develop their STEM-based, tech-for-good projects.
But it’s not all about winning. “The previous participating learners have also learnt something fundamental — that the SFT competition is less about winning and more about the journey of learning and personal growth,” says Makgato.
“We are happy to see that some of the former participants and winners ... have transitioned into tertiary education, often pursuing degrees that align with the STEM skills they developed during the programme.”
According to Samsung, the SFT competition aligns closely with SA’s basic education and national transformation goals. It especially aligns those focused on improving STEM learning, critical thinking and equitable access to opportunities.
Strengthening STEM education is at the heart of SA’s education policy as these subjects are essential for the current jobs market. The SFT competition gives learners practical, hands-on STEM experience, supporting the national education priority of building stronger STEM capacity in schools.
Acting director for communications and research at the basic education department, Terence Khala, said the department welcomed “the continued expansion of the Samsung SFT programme as a strategic STEM enrichment platform that advances curriculum relevance, innovation capability and equitable access to opportunity within the public schooling system”.
“Experiential competitions of this nature strengthen critical problem-solving, design thinking and applied learning competencies essential for participation in South Africa’s digital, green and knowledge-based economies.”
The inclusion of all public schools reflected a shared commitment to broadening high-quality STEM exposure and nurturing a diverse pipeline of future innovators, he said.
Do you qualify?
Teams wanting to enter must comply with these criteria:
- Candidates must be South African citizens.
- Prior written consent must be obtained by the school from each candidate’s parent or legal guardian.
- The candidate must be enrolled as a learner at the applicable public school, as at the date of the commencement of the competition and for its duration.
- Each team may comprise of a maximum of five learners from grade 10 to 11.
- Public schools may enter only one team.
For more information, visit the Samsung website or send an email on ssasft@samsung.com to fill out the online form. For further information, call 011 549 1646 or 060 554 8606.
This article was sponsored by Samsung.
