Student Innovators Win at 8th imake.wemake Challenge

Community-driven innovation took center stage as five high school teams were named top winners of the 8th imake.wemake: create. innovate. collaborate. competition.

Out of 143 entries submitted nationwide, 19 schools advanced as finalists for their bold, relevant, and tech-enabled solutions to pressing local problems.

The annual contest, organized by the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), challenges students to develop working prototypes that address real-world community issues through innovation and collaboration.

More than just a contest of technical skill, this year’s imake.wemake showcased a growing purpose among youth—to innovate for the sake of the nation.

Bantayan Science High School’s Project LUSAI was among this year’s top winners. Motivated to improve their local water system, they developed an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) that monitors seagrass beds, detects underwater trash, and assesses water quality. Equipped with various sensors and powered by artificial intelligence, their device also maps the seafloor, tracks seagrass health, and transmits real-time data to support local conservation efforts.

Rizal National Science High School, on the other hand, developed Project SALIN—a speech-to-animation device for sign language inclusivity. This wearable assistive tool is designed for hearing-impaired individuals in the Philippines. Powered by Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), Arduino Nano 33 BLE, and Raspberry Pi 4B, the device detects spoken Filipino words and generates corresponding Filipino Sign Language (FSL) gestures in real time.

Lala National High School was also recognized for their Crustacean Robotic Autonomous Baiting Technology or C.R.A.B.-Tech. Aimed at sustaining their local crab industry, they created a load cell system that measures a crab’s weight and size in real time—ensuring that only market-ready mud crabs are harvested. This innovation is their contribution to a more sustainable and thriving mud crab aquaculture industry in their region.

Meanwhile, Sagay National High School earned their spot at the top for developing an Arduino-based smart exoskeleton that helps people relearn how to walk. Designed for gait rehabilitation, the wearable device uses sensors and machine learning to adapt to a user’s movement in real time. Its goal: to make physical therapy more personalized, effective, and accessible—potentially lowering healthcare costs and improving recovery for patients.

Rounding out the roster of winners is Sorsogon National High School with Bantay AR-uga—a prenatal care monitoring system designed to track maternal and fetal health in real time. The device uses sensors to monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature, and fetal heart rate. It also provides early risk detection and emergency alerts to help ensure timely medical intervention.

On April 24 and 25, these five teams were awarded by various program partners for their outstanding projects.

Bantayan Science High School, Rizal National Science High School, and Lala National High School were the recipients of the Youth Innovation Prize (YIP) Award of Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI). Each team brought home Php 200,000.00 in cash courtesy of HCPI, while their coaches were awarded Php 20,000.00 by DOST-SEI.

Sagay National High School and Sorsogon National High School, on the other hand, were awarded by C&E Publishing, Inc. with the CEALS Arduino Go Excellence Award and CEALS Innovation Award, respectively.

The CEALS Arduino Go Excellence Award recognizes the team who demonstrated the most exceptional technical skills and creative use of Arduino technology, while the CEALS Innovation Award recognizes outstanding project design and potential marketability. Each team brought home Php 200,000.00 in cash and other special gifts courtesy of C&E Publishing, Inc.

Recognizing potential 

Aside from recognizing outstanding projects, the event also honored exceptional individuals whose potential stood out throughout the 8th imake.wemake competition.

The Gokongwei Brothers Foundation (GBF) presented the Young Scientist Award to four remarkable changemakers for their stellar performance and perseverance. The awardees were Kristine Butaran (Rizal National Science High School), Patricia Loraine Sevilla (Lala National High School), and Healvey Taytayan and Marc Jomyr Diongzon (Bantayan Science High School).

All four are eligible for a STEM scholarship grant worth Php 85,000.00 annually, applicable to any Philippine college or university of their choice.

Continuing the mission 

As the event concluded, one thing remains to DOST-SEI: building towards a more inclusive, science- and technology-driven future depends not only on the kinds of projects students create, but also on how their mindsets are shaped toward nation-building in their individual capacities.

As one participant shared, “What this competition has really taught me is to innovate with the goal of helping build a better Philippines in mind. Hindi kami ‘andito para lang manalo, ‘andito kami para makatulong at may mai-contribute na pagbabago.”

This mission carries on as imake.wemake enters its 9th cycle. Interested applicants may submit their innovative proposals by July 11, 2025.