I. OVERVIEW
Young Makers Vietnam is a not-for-profit organization established with the aim to support and empower Vietnamese young makers. Through supporting students to approach innovative science in a more practical and intuitive way, Young Makers Vietnam contributes to the development of human resources in science and technology sector in Vietnam.
In 2017, Young Makers Vietnam in collaboration with Intel Product Vietnam and many other partners organizes Young Makers Challenge 2017 to encourage the creative spirit and research in science and technology of middle and high school students, to promote the practice and application of teaching, and to to give students the opportunity to study and develop the hard skills and soft skills needed to create and design prototypes; simultaneously, Young Makers Challenge 2017 is a playground for the “young makers” to unleash their passion, explore their potential, and interact with their peers.
II. CONTEST RULE
a) Eligibility
Vietnamese students in elementary, middle and high schools (including international schools) in Vietnam who are passionate about science and technology. Contestants compete in teams of two or three; each team can submit more than one ideas (maximum three).
b) Contest and criteria
The contest focuses on idea development and product design and construction based on the Arduino architecture. Products will be made on Intel Galileo boards; each team is provided with 01 board. While project ideas are not limited to specific fields, it is recommended that each team focus on the following areas:
- Urban traffic: road traffic safety, traffic signal control, power charger for vehicles, etc.
- Environment: air and water filtration, pollution warning, etc. Agriculture: Moisture, water, air control
- Smart home
- Healthcare
Judging criteria:
- Creativity
- Problem-solving
- Optimization
- Feasibility
- Teamwork and communication
- Product completion
c) Contest rounds
Young Makers Challenge 2017 has 4 rounds:
Online Application Form
- 13/2/2017 – 27/2/2017: Team registration (team member information) and project registration (project’s name)
- 27/02/2017 – 06/03/2017: Project presentation submission based on the following requirements:
- Project name
- Project field
- Problem – solution – product (functions, components…)
- Technical foundation of project
- Feasibility and optimization of project
100 teams will be selected to the next round. Results for the Online Application Form are expected to be announced on 13/03/2017.
Project Presentation (19/03/2017)
Each team will present their project and answer questions from Board of Judges (BoJ). This round takes place in 3 cities: Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. 50 teams will be selected to the next round and provided with Intel Galileo boards to design and build the products.
In the next three months, each team will join the training series of hard skills, soft skills, and teamwork, in particular:
- 4 Training Sessions:
- Session 1: Basic Arduino (26/03/2017)
- Session 2: Advanced Arduino (02/04/2017)
- Session 3: Problem-solving and teamwork skills (09/04/2017)
- Session 4: Communication and presentation skills(16/04/2017)
- 2 Teamwork Hours: Board of Mentors (BoM) will address any concerns from the team and support the team to complete its product.
- Day 1: 23/04/2017
- Day 2: 14/05/2017
In addition, each team will be provided with maker space equipped with necessary tools to complete its product.
Semi-final (21/05/2017)
Teams that have developed complete products will proceed to the semi-final round. Each will present and answer questions from BoJ. The semi-final takes place in 3 cities: Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. BoJ will evaluate and select the 10 best projects nationwide to proceed to the final round.
Finale (04/06/2017)
Each team continues to improve its product to present the final result and answer questions from BoJ in the final round. The finale takes place in Ho Chi Minh City; the selected teams from other regions will be covered for travel and accommodation cost.
This year’s new highlight is the Best individual prize. Contestants from the 10 final teams will compete for the best individual prize. The best individual assessment takes place in Ho Chi Minh City, in parallel with the team final.
- Round 1 (31/05/2017): Each candidate will complete the Aptitude Test (IQ and EQ); top 80% will proceed to the next round.
- Round 2 (01/06/2017): Each candidate will complete the STEM Test (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) in English; top 80% will proceed to the next round.
- Round 3 (02/06/2017): Candidates will be divided into groups to join Assessment Center to be assessed on teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills, and leadership potential. The top 5 contestants with the highest accumulated points from the first 3 rounds will move on to the final round.
- Round 4 (03/06/2017): Each candidate will be interviewed by the organizing committee. The candidate with the highest overall score will be the winner. The best individual prize winner will be announced in the Finale, along with the team final’s result.
In addition, to foster the creative spirit and research in science and technology of female students, an extra prize for the best female student will be awarded if the student winning Best Individual Prize is not female.
d) Prizes:
- 01 1st Prize for team: 20 million VND in cash
- 02 2nd Prize for team: 10 million VND in cash each
- 03 3rd Prize for team: 5 million VND in cash each
- 01 Best Individual Prize: 01 Silicon Valley Immersion Trip to California, USA, in 10 days organized by Utopia Academy, valued at $6.000
- 01 Best Female Student Prize: 10 million VND in cash (in case the student winning Best Individual Prize is not female)
To participate in Young Makers Challenge 2017, teams can register online on the website: www.youngmakers.vn.
Please contact us directly via email at info@youngmakers.vn if you have any question or concern about Young Makers Challenge 2017.
The contest is going to be conducted in Vietnamese.