Winners of Huawei’s Inaugural Tech4City Competition Announced
[Singapore, 27 September 2022] Huawei announces the winner of their first Tech4City competition held at the Singapore Management University (SMU) campus. Out of the nine finalists, See Your Voice from the National University of Singapore won the grand prize of S$10,000 with their AI-driven wearable sign language digitalization and translation system for the Deaf. The project aims to assist the Deaf to achieve a better quality of life and build an inclusive community.
The Tech4City initiative is Huawei’s Singapore-oriented long-term, digital inclusion initiative that uses technology, applications and skills to empower local people and organizations. The inaugural Huawei Tech4City competition began on 19 May 2022, with the aim of empowering youths to create innovative solutions using digital technology to build a sustainable and livable Singapore. The competition attracted 368 participants from local universities and polytechnics forming 141 teams to work on the themes of Nature, Culture and Neighbour with the support of NUS, NTU, SMU, SUTD and Business China.
HUAWEI Tech4City 2022 finalists with Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore, Foo Fang Yong, CEO of Huawei International and Jun Zhang, Vice President of Huawei Asia Pacific
He Gong, team lead for See Your Voice said: “We want to build an inclusive and equal society with AI-driven accessible solutions.” In addition to the prize money, the winning team will also be fast-tracked into Huawei’s Seeds for the Future 2023 program and be eligible for an internship with the global technology company.
In the second place was MANGO from the National University of Singapore with their Mobile Assistive Navigation Application for Guiding Older commuters powered by Augmented Reality.
Team MANGO wins the second place
In third place was Homeground Heroes with their two-sided marketplace centered on simplicity, accessibility, and utility, that seeks to spark a cultural revaluation through turning regular citizens and merchants into everyday 'culturalists'.
In the shortlisting phase, the 141 team proposals were assessed based on the depth of research, innovativeness and feasibility, social value, use of technology and idea’s logical implementation. The Guest-of-Honor was Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth & Ministry of Trade and Industry, Singapore and Ms Tin Pei Ling, CEO, Business China, and Member of Parliament as the guest speaker. The panel of judges comprised Mr George Yeo, Former Foreign Minister of Singapore, Professor Khoo Teng Chye, Practice Professor, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore (NUS), Mr Robert Yap, Chairman, Advisory Board and Non-Executive Director, EDPR Sunseap Asia Pacific, Mr Edward Tay, CEO, Sistema Asia Capital, and Ms Christina Lee, Founder & CEO, Global Green Connect.
Ensuring a Vibrant and Collaborative Future for Sustainability
Team See Your Voice presented their smart glove to Ms Low Yen Ling and Mr Jun Zhang
Guest-of-honor at the event, Ms Low Yen Ling, Minister of State, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) & Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Singapore said: “I would like to commend Huawei for holding the first-ever Huawei Tech4City Competition. It raises our youth’s awareness of how digitalization and sustainability can be positive forces in solving today’s challenges and bringing our world forward. The competition is an excellent platform for our youths to brainstorm and develop ideas to tackle salient and urgent issues - whether it’s reducing carbon emissions and improving food sustainability or building our social and cultural capital and creating a resilient and inclusive city.”
“Tech4City was conceptualized to empower local youths with the tools to take control of their future by building ideas to create interconnected, sustainable and ultimately, a better Singapore.” said Mr Foo Fang Yong, Chief Executive Officer of Huawei International. “With the finals, we have seen many fresh ideas of how we can build a livable city where we are proud to live in.”
Mr Jun Zhang, Vice President, Huawei Asia Pacific said that: “We are always looking for ways to engage the community better. We believe that young people have and will continue to play an important role in the region’s, and the world’s economic development. To that end, as part of our 5-year talent plan starting from 2021, we are committed to investing US$50 million and cultivating 500,000 talents through multiple programs including Seeds for the Future, ASEAN Academy, and ICT Academy, etc. by 2026.”
