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Apeiron NFT Raises Historic $3 Million GameFi Preseed Round With 50 Million FDV

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 2 March 2022 – Foonie Magus announces Apeiron, the world’s first Play and Earn (P&E) god-game on the blockchain, has raised three million dollars in its preseed valuation, a historic first for NFT games.

This up and coming crypto game has been making waves in the GameFi community with its stunning gameplay teasers, revolutionary tri-token economy and rich mythological settings. Apeiron takes the classic gameplay of god-games like Black and White and Populous and refines and updates it for the modern era, bringing in elements of Roguelike RPG dungeon delving, planet building simulations, and Alliance PvP endgame in one comprehensive package.

Players will be able to earn NFTs in the form of Planets, Stars, and Relics. They will be able to breed new NFTs using a holy ritual known as Celestial Conjunction, where the essence of two Planets is used to produce a third. All the while, through simply playing the game, players will be given opportunities to earn tokens, which can be exchanged on the marketplace for real cryptocurrency.

Notably, CEO Frank Cheng has drawn a line in the sand between Apeiron and other play-to-earn games: “We believe that at the end of the day, games should be enjoyable and NOT work. Money and work tends to take the enjoyment out of entertainment experiences. We are gamers at heart…and our focus is on creating games with great gameplay, friendly social dynamics, and epic moments. Earning is secondary in the equation and more like a bonus that rewards dedication, skill and teamwork.”

Apeiron has a fully diluted valuation of 50 million dollars, and has attracted a number of strategic partners who are excited by the project. Zombieclub, Asia’s first Web3 thinktank with both celebrity and technology conglomerate backing, has identified Apeiron as an early zombie to help revolutionize and promote best practices in Web3 space. The game has also won the backing of Enzac Research and Skyvision Capital, veteran teams in the Web3 space offering in-depth experience and professional support to ensure Apeiron reaches and surpasses its potential.

In the gaming sphere, across the world up-and-coming crypto gaming DAOs and gaming guilds have rallied to Apeiron’s banner, including YGGSEA and guildFi from Southeast Asia and SnackclubGG from Latin America. These early believers will set the stage for Apeiron’s epic Alliance-level guild vs guild battles for the heart of the godiverse.

In the crypto sphere, Leo Ventures, IVC, and Trill Ventures are new crypto venture funds with passionate teams looking to build something lasting in the metaverse and who are thrilled to back Apeiron’s grand vision for the long term.

Finally, Sing Tsang and Aither Global are real-world franchising partners helping to build bridges between the metaverse and the physical world with storytelling and merchandising.

The groundswell of popular support and partnerships makes Apeiron one of the brightest prospects among the new wave of NFT games. Foonie Magus will hold Apeiron’s first Planet NFT pre-sale in March 2022. The game is scheduled to launch late 2022.

Official website: https://apeironnft.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/apeironNFT
Discord: https://discord.gg/apeironnft
Telegram: https://t.me/ApeironOfficialCommunity

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Laos Launches Green Pass Online Visa Portal

Laos launches green pass online visa portal

Laos has launched an official online visa portal allowing foreign residents and overseas Lao to apply for a visa online.

From Metasearch Engine to Lifestyle Superapp, A Decade of Traveloka’s Transformation in Growing Together with Its Customers

  • Starting from a metasearch engine, an online aggregator of flight ticket comparison, Traveloka has now transformed into a Lifestyle Superapp that offers end-to-end solutions to fulfill consumers’ lifestyle needs.
  • In celebrating a decade of Traveloka accompanying its consumers’ journey, Traveloka presents the Salebrat10n Promotion Program.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Media OutReach – 2 March 2022 – Established since 29 February 2012, Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s lifestyle superapp, today celebrates its 10 years of journeying and growing together with its consumers. As part of the celebration, the lifestyle superapp presents the Salebrat10n promotion program.

Caption

Throughout a decade of being present among the society, Traveloka has been producing various technology-based innovations to fulfill the growing needs of consumers in travel and lifestyle. Starting from a metasearch engine to online aggregator, Traveloka has transformed into a lifestyle superapp with more than 20 products and services under three main pillars: travel, local services, and financial services.

Albert, Co-Founder, Traveloka, said “Innovation is the driving force for us as a technology company to continue growing, adapting, and providing relevant solutions to answer consumers’ needs and their aspirations. Over the past decade, we have delivered a variety of products and services providing convenience to more than 40 million consumers, collaborating with millions of partners, and partnering with a number of stakeholders to jointly contribute to the tourism industry and national economy.”

Being committed to consistently growing and bringing Indonesian pride to the other parts of the world, Traveloka became the first unicorn in the country to develop a business outside its home country, Indonesia. Since 2015, Traveloka has expanded across Southeast Asia, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

One of the manifestations of Traveloka’s commitment to remain innovative is reflected in the milestone when it launched Traveloka PayLater in 2018. Traveloka pioneered the concept, currently known as Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) in Indonesia. It has the main goal of simplifying consumers’ access to financial services, hence helping them to better manage their cash flow. Not to mention, Traveloka made a breakthrough to be the first in Southeast Asia to introduce PayLater Virtual Number, an installment method using a virtual number.

During the pandemic that hit the travel and tourism sector hard, Traveloka continued to innovate and branched into adjacent services. Traveloka carried out a series of initiatives to support pandemic mitigation in the country, from establishing Traveloka Vaccination Centers, offering COVID-19 tests, to launching Traveloka Clean Partners. In an effort to help partners that are affected by the pandemic, the lifestyle superapp also held the iconic EPIC Sale program which successfully increased the transactions of 84,000+ partners by more than 4.5 times.

Throughout its journey in the past one year, Traveloka continues to strengthen its position as a lifestyle superapp by complementing its products and services portfolio, to provide end-to-end solutions. In the Travel business unit, Traveloka Holiday Stays is now available with a complete private accommodation inventory, and Traveloka QuickRide which allows consumers to order a taxi on the Traveloka application. Meanwhile, Eats Delivery, Health, and Online Xperience are embedded in the Local Services business unit. Financial Services are also growing with the availability of Traveloka Gold, Traveloka PayLater Virtual Numbers to insurance products with wider coverages.

Celebration of the First Decade

Entering its 10th year, Traveloka would like to appreciate the consumers by holding the Salebrat10n promotional program where Traveloka operates, including Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines. Salebrat10n is supported by Traveloka Clean Partners, offers various discounts for Traveloka products, daily flash deals, vouchers and coupons specifically for each region with the following details:

Countries Period Salebrat10n Detail
Singapore, Malaysia, Philippine 21 Feb – 6 Mar 2022 Enjoy up to 50% off deals with discounts, and coupons across all products available
Indonesia 24 Feb – 2 Mar 2022 Discount up to 70% for all Traveloka products

Flash sale at 19:00-21:00 (JKT time) and Grand Bazaar at 12:00-23:59 (JKT time)

Vietnam 25 Feb – 3 Mar 2022 Discount up to 50% for all Traveloka products

Flash sale at 10-11AM each day to get better deals, combinable with coupon codes for extra saving

Thailand 25 Feb – 3 Mar 2022 Discount from 15% up to 95% for all products

Flight Flash Sale Hour daily from 11AM – 12PM to get up to 40% off

Hotel Exclusive Discount on 28 Feb and 3 Mar 2022, flash sale hour avaibable and get up to THB733.

Xperience sale up to 95% off. Deals start from THB10

Discount coupon of Package Flight + Hotel up to THB300

Live Streaming on 3 March with additional discount.

We are also introducing Traveloka Explore, as one of Traveloka’s latest innovations that allows consumers to upload photos and short videos about their travel experiences and lifestyles, that can be shared with friends and the public on the Traveloka application.

“We are grateful for the support and trust given by our consumers, partners, the government, and other relevant stakeholders that Traveloka is able to attain many achievements over the past 10 years. Our journey does not stop here, we will continue to realize our commitment to provide more positive contributions to the country, together with our partners,” concluded Albert.

About Traveloka

Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s lifestyle superapp, provides users access to discover and purchase a wide range of travel, local services, and financial services products. Traveloka’s comprehensive product portfolio includes transport booking services such as flight tickets, bus, trains, car rental, airport transfer, as well as access to the largest accommodation inventory in Southeast Asia, including hotels, apartments, guest houses, homestays, resorts, and villas, making Traveloka a booking platform with the widest selection of accommodation and packages.

Traveloka is also a key player in the local services category, offering reservations for a wide range of local attractions, activities, wellness and beauty clinics, culinary directories as well as food delivery. Traveloka also offers financing, payment, and insurance products to help Southeast Asian consumers fulfill their lifestyle aspirations. Traveloka provides 24/7 customer service in local languages as well as more than 40 different local payment methods. Traveloka’s lifestyle superapp has been downloaded more than 60 million times, making it the most popular travel and lifestyle booking application in the Southeast Asian region.

#Traveloka

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Low Flows in Mekong Blamed for Lack of Clean Water in Phnom Penh

No clean water in Phnom Penh due to low Mekong River flows
A woman washes her hands with tap water provided by state-owned utility Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority, in the capital’s Daun Penh district on Tuesday. (Photo: Heng Chivoan).

Phnom Penh is suffering from a lack of clean water, with low water flows in the Mekong River to blame, according to a senior official.

Warmer Weather Forecast Across Central And Southern Laos This Week

Warmer weather forecast for Laos this week
Sunset in Vientiane Capital (Photo: Dr. Logan)

Laos is to see significantly warmer weather this week as the cool season makes way for the tropical heat.

MDRT Family of Brands Expands Definition of Success in the Profession with New Awards and Rankings

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 2 March 2022 – The MDRT Family of Brands, which includes MDRT for high-performing financial services professionals, the MDRT Academy for aspiring MDRT members and MDRT Global Services for leaders in financial services, has added to the portfolio of honours available for exceptional members and their companies. MDRT has redefined and added new categories within its annual Company Rankings to recognize companies that successfully invest in membership growth, retention and longevity.

Caption

In addition to this, MDRT Global Services is introducing the MDRT Culture of Excellence Awards, which recognizes agency leaders who cultivate excellence in productivity, retention, recruitment and more. With these new initiatives, the MDRT Family of Brands recognizes and elevates the exceptional performance of companies and financial services professionals.

MDRT Expanded Company Rankings

Using a more holistic approach to measuring achievement, MDRT will restructure and add new categories to its Company Rankings beginning in 2022. These new categories will recognize companies that achieve excellence in the areas of MDRT membership growth, retention and longevity, demonstrating a commitment to investing in their advisors’ personal and professional development. The eight new rankings include:

  • Top 25 Companies – Total Membership Growth
  • Top 25 Companies – Percentage of Membership Growth
  • Top 25 Companies – Total Members who Rejoined
  • Top 25 Companies – Percentage of Members who Rejoined
  • Top 25 Companies – Total Number of 5-9 Year Members
  • Top 25 Companies – Percentage of 5-9 Year Members
  • Top 25 Companies – Total Number of Qualifying and Life Members
  • Top 25 Companies – Percentage of Qualifying and Life Members

“MDRT membership growth, retention and longevity are critical to companies that want to generate success within their ranks and demonstrate a commitment to excellence,” said Randy Scritchfield, CFP, LUTCF, MDRT President. “These new categories provide an opportunity to celebrate the financial service professionals who achieve and maintain career long success with their MDRT membership and acknowledge the important role their companies play in supporting that success.”

The 2022 Company Rankings will be announced in early July.

MDRT Global Services Culture of Excellence Award

With the MDRT Global Services pilot programme underway as the newest addition to the MDRT Family of Brands, members of this unique association are actively honing their leadership skills and establishing an MDRT culture of excellence within their agencies. The Culture of Excellence Awards provide a framework for measuring success within MDRT Global Services, evaluating applicants according to an agency scorecard, which was developed following extensive research into key benchmarks for agency success.

The benchmarks identify six key aspects of successful agencies, including promotion, retention, recruitment, persistency, Whole Person, and membership in MDRT’s Family of Brands – aspects which set the requirements for award qualification. To qualify for the Gold, Platinum and Diamond awards, agency leaders must meet three, four or five of the following criteria, respectively:

  • Production: 25% increase in production year-over-year
  • Retention: 75% annual retention
  • Recruitment: 20% annual agency recruitment rate
  • Persistency: 13-month persistency rate of 90%
  • Whole Person: Agency community involvement, MDRT Global Services Learning Engagement score (measured by attendance at webcasts, Annual Meeting/Global Conference, and completion of assigned modules in Harvard ManageMentor)
  • Membership in MDRT Family of Brands: 100% of agents must be members of MDRT or the MDRT Academy.

“These awards establish a new standard of excellence for global financial services leaders,” said Ian Green, Dip PFS, MDRT Immediate Past President. “Successful leadership is so much more than just great numbers, which is why these rigorous awards also focus on MDRT’s Whole Person concept and commitment to growth as evident by engagement within the MDRT Family of Brands.”

MDRT Global Services Culture of Excellence Awards applications will be accepted between January and March of 2023, with winners announced in May 2023 and honoured at a special awards ceremony at the MDRT Annual Meeting and MDRT Global Conference. Click here for more information about the Culture of Excellence Awards.

About MDRT

MDRT, The Premier Association of Financial Professionals®, is a global, independent association of the world’s leading life insurance and financial services professionals from more than 500 companies in 70 markets. MDRT members demonstrate exceptional professional knowledge, strict ethical conduct and outstanding client service. MDRT membership is recognized internationally as the standard of excellence in the life insurance and financial services business. For more information, please visit https://www.mdrt.org/ and follow them on Twitter @MDRtweet.

#MDRT

About MDRT Global Services

As the newest offering under the global MDRT Family of Brands, MDRT Global Services was created exclusively for the financial services field and home office leaders. As a separate, individual membership association with innovative program offerings, MDRT Global Services provides its members with exceptional value and leadership growth opportunities. MDRT Global Services membership allows increased engagement within the MDRT community while allowing leaders to develop a culture of excellence within their respective organizations. To learn more visit mdrtgs.org.

About MDRT Academy

The MDRT Academy is an association for financial professionals striving to reach MDRT-level production. Those who join receive exclusive access to MDRT-member insights, gold-standard content and performance-driving features tailored to their specific needs – and it’s all available through an intuitive website and mobile app. The MDRT Academy also offers goal setting and performance-tracking tools, monthly webcasts featuring MDRT members, Performance Guides, as well as hundreds of MDRT-approved articles, videos and podcast episodes. Learn more at mdrtacademy.org.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Apex Gifts & Prints Increases Staff To Serve Growing Needs

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 2 March 2022 – A leading supplier in Singapore for unique and affordable corporate gifts and printing services, Apex Gifts and Prints has announced its intentional step to serve and meet the ever-growing need for customisable corporate gifts through the hiring of more designers.

With the addition of more designers to their current team, Apex Gifts and Prints aims to achieve better time allocation to serve the needs of their growing client profiles. With the team’s current strength, it is increasingly challenging to meet the ever-growing demand for customised corporate gifts. They also hope that through these new additions, they are able to have a clearer outlook on the products they deliver, ensuring that every product is uniquely and specially curated to the best that their clients expect. Lastly, Apex Gifts and Prints also hope to improve on the customisation process, offering their clients more value-added services at an affordable rate. On top of hiring more designers, Apex Gifts and Prints has also purchased printing facilities in Shenzhen, China, to accommodate more packing and printing needs.

Currently, at Apex Gifts and Prints, the customised gifts and printing services the team is bringing to clients include corporate gifts printing services, gift box customisation services, and artwork design and sharpening services. They hope to bring extra services such as complete production of specific corporate gifts from scratch, more designing and fabrication options of products and packaging, and post customisation after-sales services.

Corporate gifts are increasingly popular in helping businesses build relationships with their employees, clients, partners, and customers. By doing so, brands can build better engagement, loyalty, and recognition. Apex Gifts and Prints is one of Singapore’s leading wholesale corporate gifts and bulk printing suppliers. With two offices in Singapore and China, they offer a wide range of unique and practical corporate gifts that are suitable for any gender and industry. Their high-quality products range from Bluetooth speakers and corporate gift bags with logo to cutlery sets and corporate gift notebooks.

For more information on Apex Gifts and Prints and their range of customised products, do visit https://apexgiftsandprints.com/.

#ApexGiftsandPrints

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Ideas on bacteria-driven biofilter for vehicles and solar energy management system emerge as winners at Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2021 competition

Samsung Gen Z poll found that health and mental well-being issues and environmental sustainability challenges are top concerns for youths in Singapore

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 2 March 2022 – Samsung Electronics Singapore today announced the winners of the Solve for Tomorrow 2021 competition, with teams MNKS X CO2 from Singapore Polytechnic and Team Adustio from the National University of Singapore (NUS) taking home top honours for the Post-secondary and University categories respectively. The final round of this competition saw 10 finalist teams five from each category – showcasing their ideas to a judging panel of industry leaders.

Supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) under its Digital for Life initiative, the fifth edition of Solve for Tomorrow was launched on 7 October 2021. The 10 finalist teams were shortlisted from over 170 teams comprising more than 510 students in Singapore. The top team from each category walked away with $10,000 worth of Samsung products, $5,000 cash prize and an insider tour of Samsung Singapore office, and a study trip to Seoul, South Korea [1].

“We believe that our youths hold the keys to address our most pressing issues and shape the nation’s advancement, tapping on their passion and knowledge while harnessing the power of technology and innovation,” said Mark Kim, President, Samsung Electronics Singapore. “Science and technology play a pivotal role in the fight against climate change and creating a sustainable, circular economy. Digital solutions’ immense potential to overcome real-world issues has been highlighted tremendously during the pandemic. Through this competition, we hope to spark the light of innovation amongst our next generation of leaders and innovators, thereby enabling them to pioneer positive social and environmental change through technology.”

In a Samsung online poll [2] participated by 107 Gen Zs (aged 16 – 25), half of the respondents (50 percent) ranked diseases, chronic illnesses and mental health issues as Singapore’s most critical challenges. This is followed by climate change and environment sustainability challenges.

Health and mental well-being and environmental sustainability are top concerns for Gen Zs

The poll was conducted on the sidelines of the Solve for Tomorrow competition to highlight youth perspectives on the different societal and environmental challenges that the nation faces, as well as understand how they are playing their part to address these issues.

More than four in five GenZs (82 percent) indicated that the rapidly changing economy and widespread changes in jobs have become even more concerning due to Covid-19. However, despite these heightened concerns, most respondents (75 percent) are still optimistic that Singapore can solve the societal and environmental challenges it faces.

Covid-19 has also made 57 percent of Gen Zs realise that everybody has a role to play in addressing Singapore’s pressing issues. Additionally, 58 percent of respondents also highlighted that the pandemic has made them realise the critical role digital technology plays in addressing Singapore’s societal and environmental challenges.

Furthermore, more than four in five GenZs (81 percent) stated that social entrepreneurship is important or highly important in addressing societal and environmental challenges. Nearly two-thirds of them (64 percent) also aspire to be social entrepreneurs if given the opportunity.

Solve for Tomorrow encourages youths to take a more proactive approach in addressing Singapore’s key challenges by providing them with a platform to ideate and apply their knowledge and skills across multiple disciplines, including Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), to make a meaningful impact in our community. It also allows them to ignite their entrepreneurial spirit by empowering them to develop tangible innovations that can potentially be implemented at scale. Solve for Tomorrow reflects Samsung’s investment in youths and its commitment to inspiring and developing the capabilities of the next generation of leaders to fulfil their potential.

Entries showcase innovation and aspirations of Singaporean youths for the nation

The judges for Solve for Tomorrow 2021 consisted of an esteemed panel of industry leaders. They included:

  • Mark Kim, President of Samsung Electronics Singapore
  • Foo Hui Hui, Deputy Director, Digital Literacy and Participation, Infocomm Media Development Authority
  • Aziza Sheerin, Vice President, APAC, General Assembly

The finalist teams were assessed based on the relevance, creativity and feasibility of their ideas, as well as how they were applying technology to the challenges identified in one of these themes – (1) environmental sustainability, (2) digital inclusion for seniors, (3) health & wellness and (4) preparing for the future of work. The public also got to vote for their favourite finalist team’s idea during the final round, and the competition received nearly 3,000 votes between 21 Dec 2021 to 31 Dec 2021. The voting results were included in the teams’ final scores.

“The growing challenges of tomorrow across areas such as healthcare, climate change, and transportation will require fresh thinking and novel solutions. Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow competition is a great catalyst to inspire the next generation of young leaders as they build core skills that will serve them well in their future careers. By providing a platform for students to utilize their skills to solve a real-world problem, competitions such as Solve for Tomorrow help young people adopt a growth mindset towards upskilling and applied learning that ensures that Singapore continues to build its status as a global leader in technology development and innovation,” said Aziza Sheerin, Vice President, APAC, General Assembly.

Winners of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow 2021 competition

Post-secondary category

  • 1st prize: MNKS X CO2
  • 2nd prize: Team Mech Care
  • 3rd prize: PowerWHATt
  • People’s Choice award [3]: MNKS X CO2

University category

  • 1st prize: Team Adustio
  • 2nd prize: JBSamsung
  • 3rd prize: Team S^2 Brace
  • People’s Choice award [3] : JBSamsung

Post-secondary category winner: MNKS X CO2 from Singapore Polytechnic

The Post-secondary category winning team, with members Mohammed Khambhati​, Ti Kyi Kyaw, Keeret Singh, and Toh Siew Hean, conceptualised a biofilter for vehicles with a biofilm made of genetically engineered Escherichia coli (E. Coli) bacteria that can consume carbon dioxide while emitting oxygen gas. The filter chamber design is similar to the villi of the small intestine, which will help maximise the bacteria’s contact surface with exhaust fumes, thereby increasing its overall filtration efficiency.

“Vehicle carbon emissions is a key culprit for climate change, and our team believes that addressing this issue will require us to rethink current solutions. The idea of a biofilter was inspired by the amazing ability of genetically modified E.coli to absorb carbon dioxide. With the assistance of my teammates Nick, Keeret, and Siew Hean, we were able to integrate different STEM disciplines and develop our idea into a feasible solution. Taking part in the Solve for Tomorrow competition allowed us to crystallise our idea as well as gain valuable knowledge and experience. We hope that our E.Coli-driven biofilter can make a meaningful difference in the fight against climate change.” said Mohammed, team leader of MNKS X CO2.

University category winner: Team Adustio from NUS

Team Adustio, the University category winning team comprising Alyssa Cheok​ and Yuan Hai Shu, ​ developed an integrated two-part solar energy system that combines an organic solar battery with a mobile app-assisted asset management system. The organic solar battery cell is made from seaweed carrageenan, which is a binder for high energy and low-cost lithium-sulfur batteries. Its ability to stabilise the battery will help maximise battery efficiency. The battery is also biodegradable, which addresses the issue of toxic waste. Additionally, an integrated mobile application with sensor devices and an asset management system enables the solar panels to be tilted according to the sun’s position throughout the day, maximising its ability to harness solar energy.

“The global appetite for energy continues to grow as countries continue to develop, and there is an urgent need for renewable energy to catch up with the rising demand. Our integrated two-part solar solution will not only increase solar energy output, but it is also biodegradable and has a low production cost. We hope this will incentivise more companies to implement it at scale. Solve for Tomorrow is an ideal testbed for refining our solution and conceptualising a potential business model. The journey has been rewarding as it broadened our horizon and encouraged us to push the boundaries to create something impactful,” said Alyssa, team leader of Team Adustio.

For more information on Solve for Tomorrow, visit https://www.samsung.com/sg/solvefortomorrow/.

More information on the competition can be found in Appendix A.

Profiles of the judges can be found on the Solve for Tomorrow website here.

[1] Subject to global travel restrictions and developments of Covid-19.
[2] Samsung conducted an online poll among 107 respondents in Singapore, aged 16 to 25 years old, between October 2021 and January 2022. The poll aims to understand the views of Gen Zs on Singapore’s societal and environmental challenges.
[3] People’s Choice award – Finalist team that received the most votes from the public in the category.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, digital appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at http://news.samsung.com

Appendix A

About Samsung Solve for Tomorrow

The Solve for Tomorrow 2021 competition, which launched on 7 October, encourages students in Singapore to take a closer look at the social issues around them and think about how they can make a meaningful impact on the community.

The platform also allows youth to express their creativity and passion while encouraging them to apply their knowledge and skills across multiple disciplines – including critical and design thinking, marketing and communications skills, technological expertise and STEM knowledge – when developing their ideas and solutions.

Competition overview

There are two categories for Solve for Tomorrow 2021.

  • Category 1 – Post-secondary: Full-time students aged 16 years old and above, enrolled in any junior college, polytechnic, Institute of Technical Education or the Millennia Institute in Singapore
  • Category 2 – University: Full-time undergraduate students aged 18 years old and above, enrolled in any of the six publicly-funded autonomous universities in Singapore, namely

oNanyang Technological University (NTU);

oNational University of Singapore (NUS);

oSingapore Institute of Technology (SIT);

oSingapore Management University (SMU);

oSingapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS); and

oSingapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

The competition launched on 7 October 2021 where more than 510 students, forming more than 170 groups of two to four, submitted a write-up of their ideas or solutions.

A total of 20 teams (10 from each category) were shortlisted in November 2021. Each of these teams received a $800 cash prize to help them develop and refine their ideas and/or develop their prototype.

Virtual workshops were organised for all the shortlisted teams where all teams completed two online courses – (1) social entrepreneurship and (2) social media for good.

Out of the 20 teams, 10 teams (five from each category) were selected as the finalists. These teams were encouraged to exercise their creative and find a novel approach to showcase their solutions in a video format. The top three teams from each category with the highest scores were crowned the winners.

The public also got to vote for their favourite idea from each category on the Solve for Tomorrow website. The finalist team from each category with the greatest number of votes won the People’s Choice awards.

Judging criteria for the grand finale

  • 30%: Feasibility – Elaboration on how the solution can be created and implemented
  • 20%: Creativity – Innovativeness, uniqueness and originality of proposed idea
  • 25%: STEM – Elaboration on the use of STEM and how it can solve the problem
  • 20%: Video – Flow and effectiveness of the presentation
  • 5%: Public voting Based on the number of votes the team receive from the public

Prizes

  • First Prize for Category 1 and Category 2:

o $10,000 worth of Samsung products

o $5,000 cash prize

o A 4D3N trip to Seoul, South Korea

o Solve for Tomorrow – Insider Tour @ Samsung

  • Second Prize for Category 1 and Category 2:

o $8,000 worth of Samsung products

o $3,000 cash prize

  • Third Prize for Category 1 and Category 2:

o $6,000 worth of Samsung products

o $1,000 cash prize

  • People’s Choice awards for Category 1 and Category 2:

o 4 sets of Samsung Galaxy Buds2

#Samsung