YIC2026
Showcase your invention at your state’s maker fair! As a secondary school student in Malaysia, you’ll work in teams of 3 to develop AI solutions for social good.
Winners will advance to compete for gold awards, with select teams invited for the National Innovation Summit.
Challenge
AI FOR SOCIAL GOOD
Select and identify a cause* within the suggested community** areas and create meaningful impact with technology, data, and AI.
Projects MUST involve:
- Identifying a real problem through community engagement and data collection,
- Training a Machine Learning model using self-collected or responsibly sourced data; and,
- Implementing the solution using Edge AI*** on open-source hardware (ESP32, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, etc.) or software (Android/ iOS, Python, etc.)
Students must demonstrate how their work addresses a real need, improves lives, and creates positive impact for the community.
* A cause is a clearly identified issue that negatively affects a group and requires intentional action to improve conditions or create positive change.
** A community is a group of people who share something in common. You can define a community by the shared attributes of the people in it and/or by the strength of the connections among them. E.g.: Your school, family, village, neighbourhood, sports clubs, religious group, gamer etc
*** Edge AI solutions must run a machine learning model on the device for real-time or offline situations. Some parts of the solution may rely on cloud, either for collecting data for analysis or offloading heavier tasks.
Timeline
community areas
Opportunity Statement
Rural communities face the problem of food insecurity due to their crops being damaged by sun bears.
Opportunity Statement
Social workers face the problem of newborn abandonment and long‑term institutionalisation of children
Opportunity Statement
Indigenous groups face the problem of loss of connection to culture and heritage for the younger generations.
Opportunity Statement
Researchers face the problem of under‑representation of Asian populations in cancer data and research.
🍃 ENVIRONMENT
Rural communities face the problem of food insecurity due to their crops being damaged by sun bears in Sabah.
BORNEAN SUN BEAR CONSERVATION CENTER
Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) addresses the urgent need to protect endangered wildlife while educating the public on environmental stewardship, particularly in the face of deforestation, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss in Borneo.
BSBCC rescues and rehabilitates endangered sun bears while protecting forest ecosystems that are essential for biodiversity and climate balance. Through education and awareness, they connect conservation science with public understanding, making wildlife protection a shared social responsibility.
💬 WELFARE
Social workers face the problem of newborn abandonment and long‑term institutionalisation of children.
ORPHANCARE FOUNDATION
OrphanCare Foundation is a non-governmental organization dedicated to ensuring every child has the opportunity to grow up in a loving family. They act as a transit center rather than a permanent orphanage, focusing on alternatives to long-term institutional care.
OrphanCare operates Malaysia’s Baby Hatch and short-term care services, as well as counselling and support for family-based alternatives to orphanages.
🪭 ARTS & CULTURE
Indigenous groups face the problem of loss of connection to culture and heritage for the younger generations.
THE TUYANG INITIATIVE
The Tuyang Initiative is a social enterprise / community-led arts management company based in Miri, Sarawak. Their core goal is to empower Indigenous communities (especially Dayak / Kenyah and other Borneo indigenous groups) by enabling them to preserve, express and sustain their cultural heritage — while also earning a living.
The Tuyang Initiative preserves and showcases indigenous culture through performances, arts, and storytelling while building the skills and capacity of artisans and performers to sustain meaningful livelihoods. By bridging traditional heritage with modern platforms, they empower communities and ensure cultural continuity for future generations.
❤️🩹 HEALTH
Researchers face the problem of under‑representation of Asian populations in cancer data and research.
CANCER RESEARCH MALAYSIA
Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to researching cancers that specifically affect Asian populations. Their causes focus on bridging the global research gap, where Asians are historically underrepresented in clinical data.
CRMY conducts research and collects data on cancers affecting Asian populations, leading to improved diagnostics and treatments.
🎵 Notes: These organisations show examples of real-world challenges and are here to inspire you. Use them as inspiration to research a cause within your own community and design a meaningful YIC project.
COMPETITION CRITERIA
Participants
- Open to secondary schools registered in Malaysia.
- Each team comprises of 3 students.
- Team members can be from different schools, but from the same state.
- 17 years old and below.
Parents & Teachers
- Allow students to own their projects.
- Encourage, cheer, and guide them!
Projects
Your project must be one of the following:
Open-source hardware
OR
Open-source software
OR
A combination of open-source hardware and software.
Submission
Submit all necessary items needed for your team project via lms.chumbaka.asia and shortlisted teams will be invited to showcase their prototype at their State’s Maker Fair!
National Innovation Summit & Competition
- The top 15 teams nationwide are invited to join the National Innovation Summit (details TBA)
- Projects are judged according to this rubric (TBA).
COMPETITION RUBRIC
Technical (30%)
- Innovation 10%
- Functionality 10%
- Feasibility 5%
- Coding 5%
Problem Solving (40%)
- Problem Statement 15%
- Data Strategy 15%
- Effectiveness 10%
Reflection (30%)
- Presentation 10%
- Learning 10%
- Teamwork 5%
- Future Thinking 5%
Ready to innovate?
Join thousands of students across Malaysia in this exciting journey of innovation and technology.