Samsung Awards 255 Schools in National STEAM Contest

RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J., December 12, 2016 /3BL Media/ - Representing all 50 states and the nation’s capital, 255 public schools have advanced as state finalists in the $2 Million* Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest –  a nationwide competition that challenges students to creatively use STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) skills to address real-world issues and make a difference in their local communities.

Five schools from every state and the District of Columbia were selected from a pool of thousands of schools. The state finalists were chosen based on their creative and strategic proposals to solve complicated issues that affect their communities by using STEAM learning. As state finalists, each classroom will receive one Samsung Galaxy Tab® and the opportunity to advance in the competition and win additional prizes.

“As a tech company of creative problem solvers, Samsung believes it is our responsibility to help inspire the next generation of leaders in STEAM,” said Ann Woo, director of corporate citizenship, Samsung Electronics America. “Over the years, we’ve seen how Solve for Tomorrow’s hands-on, community-based learning approach sparks interest in STEAM subjects and careers. We are thrilled to congratulate this year’s state finalists and look forward to seeing their projects in the coming months.”

In the next phase of the contest, the state finalists will submit lesson plans detailing how they plan to address the challenge they identified in their community using STEAM skills. As a state finalist, schools will also select a local nonprofit organization that will receive a donation from Samsung, if the school is selected as a national winner. Teachers at each school will have until December 16 to outline how their classroom will collectively create positive change through STEAM, for the opportunity to proceed in the following phases of the contest:

• From the pool of 255 state finalists, 51 schools will be selected as state winners, and then 10 will advance as national finalists.
• The 10 national finalists will present their projects live to a panel of judges in New York City in early 2017.
• Ultimately, three national grand prize winners and one community choice winner will be selected in the spring of 2017.

The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest was created in 2009 to encourage innovation while addressing the technology gap in classrooms across the country. Each year, the competition inspires more active, hands-on teaching and learning among schools nationwide. Since 2004, Samsung has provided more than $19 million in technology to more than 1,000 public schools in the United States.

For a full list of State Finalist schools, please visit: www.samsung.com/solve.

*Estimated Retail Value

About Samsung Electronics America, Inc.
Headquartered in Ridgefield Park, N.J., Samsung Electronics America, Inc. (SEA) is a recognized innovative leader in consumer electronics, mobile devices and enterprise solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., SEA is pushing beyond the limits of today’s technology and providing consumers and organizations with a portfolio of groundbreaking products in appliances, home entertainment, Internet of Things, mobile computing, smartphones, virtual reality, wireless infrastructure and wearables, in addition to offering leading content and services related to mobile payments, 360-degree VR video, customer support and more. Samsung is a pioneering leader in smartphones and HDTVs in the U.S. and one of America’s fastest growing home appliance brands. To discover more about Samsung, please visit www.samsung.com. For the latest Samsung news, please visit news.samsung.com/us and follow us @SamsungNewsUS.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, medical equipment, network systems, and semiconductor and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com.