ENTRIES & WINNERS

Participants

A huge congratulations to all participants for their remarkable achievements! This year MASK Awards participants came from 27 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Oceania:

Christiana Muguro, Kenya, My Flame

SHORTLISTED SCHOOLS

Citam Schools Athi River, Machakos, Kenya

COGRI Art Club, Nairobi, Kenya

G-Thamini Art Centre, Embakasi, Kenya

St Bakhita Schools (Sabaki), Nairobi, Kenya

SHORTLISTED INNOVATORS 

Participants were asked to submit their brightest solutions to any of this year's three featured challenges.

#1 Challenge 'No Hunger' - How to distribute resources fairly?

Isabellah Koina, 25, Nairobi - Care for Another Food Centre 'Food Rescue'.

Instead of wasting leftovers, households can call 24/7 pickup teams who deliver the food to local centers. There, it’s shared with those in need, turning excess into hope and compassion, one meal at a time.

WINNER: Teagan Tierney, 16, Falmouth, United States - Service into currency

The unfortunate truth is, people don’t benefit from helping others the way they benefit from profit. To encourage helping others, stores should implement a system where, in addition to being able to buy things with money, they can also purchase items with evidence of helping others, turning service into currency.

Benedict Aros, 20, Kisumu, Kenya - #kickhunger

No one deserves to sleep hungry. Fair food distribution means sharing resources with care, reducing waste, and supporting farmers. When communities, leaders, and neighbors unite, we can build a world where every plate is full and every person is valued.

Favor Kaula, 19, Nairobi, Kenya

Technology can reinvent community-based distribution systems. Through development of an e-ticket to access rations, community food distribution committees can determine the needs of individuals in the community and allocate e-tickets accordingly. E-ticket redemption will be logged digitally, enhancing transparency, curbing corruption and enabling easier tracking of dispensed rations.

Pat Lochanakosin, 17, Bangkok, Thailand - Decentralized Food Web

A decentralized ‘Food Web’ system that tracks excess food from farms, eateries, and homes using blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies. In real time, local hubs redistribute excess food to neighboring communities in need. This system guarantees equity, minimizes waste, and fights hunger worldwide by fusing transparency, community logistics, and incentives.

Esther Yeboah, 22, Mississauga, Canada - Reducing food waste

We can create a fair distribution system to ensure that no one suffers from hunger again by reducing food waste. Approximately, 1.3 million food is wasted globally every year. Therefore, we can create a fair distribution system by creating policies to encourage companies to donate leftovers to food programs.

#2 Challenge 'Create Your Own Job' - What would you like to do?

lonwabo Matshoba, 14, South Africa - EcoCycle smart waste

Al-powered waste management platform using IoT sensors to optimize recycling, reduce waste, and promote sustainability. Key features:

• Personalized waste reduction plans
• Smart bin monitoring
• Community engagement
• Education and resources for sustainable practices

WINNER: Alvin Kiptoo, 22, Nairobi, Kenya - Scannable QR Codes E

I hand-embroid fully functional QR codes that blend tech with tradition. Crafted for brands, events, and packaging, these scannable works turn marketing into tactile experiences. ThreadLink connects customers to digital platforms through artistry and precision—where innovation meets identity in a bold, brand-driven way.

Clinton Chase, 23, Nairobi - UjuziKilimo/Smart Soil Sentinels

Community hubs that use portable soil sensors and SMS+AI advice to diagnose soil traits, paired with local micro‑production of biochar and insect‑composted fertilizer. Built and run by youth and women’s groups, they restore soil health, cut costs, boost yields, and transform food security from the ground up.

Daniel Wambaya, 22, Kitale, Kenya - Arte Hermosa

Art galleries, art collectors reach out across the globe working with professional artist to sell NFTs, prints and learning content. Copyright, licensing, royalties protects intellectual property value. Evaluating team members is based on willingness and enjoyment brought to work process.

Elijah Khamala, 23, Kilifi, Kenya - Bluxel Chapters

1. Bluxel Chapters transform universities into hubs of innovation by equipping students with practical digital skills—graphic design, web design, and AI creativity. The program empowers learners to earn through freelancing and entrepreneurship, bridging the gap between theory and practice while tackling youth unemployment and financial insecurity.

2. Bluxel Africa empowers African entrepreneurs by bridging the gap between learning and earning. Through affordable web design, branding, and digital solutions, combined with hands-on training for youth, we build sustainable online presences, create jobs, and foster a thriving ecosystem of innovation and opportunity.

Jira Wongswan, 17, Bangkok, Thailand

An app detecting the air quality through both the measure of various dust particles e.g. PM 2.5 and pollen could help to warn those highly sensitive. Various advanced technologies e.g, more advanced pollen samplers could aid the data collection and widespread use.

Favor Kaula, 19, Nairobi, Kenya - Storage to Service-A

Hundreds of medical equipment tend to gather dust in storage rooms for years due to delays in commissioning. A digital platform with an integrated communication system between the relevant parties and an authorization and inspection module, can address this issue while generating sustainable revenue via a subscription model.

Pat Lochanakosin, 17, Bangkok, Thailand - Reflekt_ Smart Mirror

‘Reflekt’ is a smart mirror that analyzes skin tone, body proportions, and overall appearance using AI and camera technology. It offers tailored shopping recommendations, outfit combinations, and styling advice. ‘Reflekt’ is integratable into personal closet experiences and commercial stores, turning everyday dressing into a simple, self-empowering, and astute fashion revolution.

BRIAN MATOYA, 25, NAROK, Kenya

1. Dynamo system for vehicles that capture kinetic energy during coasting or braking

An innovative selective-engagement dynamo system for vehicles that captures kinetic energy during braking or coasting. Using a high-efficiency generator, variable gearing, and supercapacitors, it boosts battery life and range without constant drag. Ideal for retrofitting small EVs and motorbikes, promoting sustainable transport in resource-limited regions.

2. Avocado wastes to value

Transforming avocado seeds and peels into eco-friendly products. This innovation targets sustainable waste management, supports green entrepreneurship, and promotes circular economy practices, turning agricultural by-products into valuable materials for food, cosmetic, or bio-based industries.

Kevinne Mullick, 25, Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya - SINEMA MTAANI “Cinema in the Community”

Cinema Mtaani by Kgill+ Media transforms marginalized communities into cinematic hubs, showcasing local short films in public spaces. It empowers grassroots storytellers, creates jobs in film production, and shifts African narratives—turning untold stories into global cultural exports. LINK

Siddharth Shah, 12, Mumbai, India - SkillSwap

#3 Challenge: Moral Compass - How can we make society ethical and responsible?

Isabellah Koina, 25, Nairobi, 'I Saw, I Heard'.

A safe, anonymous digital space where users share real encounters with corruption using fun aliases. Through storytelling and peer discussion, it sparks reflection on ethical choices by asking: What would you do? It empowers citizens to speak up without fear and with courage.

Clinton Chase, 23, Nairobi, 'The Real Ones' Challenge

A global TikTok-style movement where teens post real-life moments of honesty, kindness, and standing up for what's right. Each act earns points in a gamified app linked to local rewards—airtime, school credits, or recognition. Ethics becomes a trend. Doing good goes viral.

Kunpol Gus, 17, Bangkok, Thailand - Virtual Horizons

Using VR, I built an immersive training program for long-term prisoners in Thailand, breaking location barriers to education. By simulating modern transport and digital finance, the program prepares marginalized women for financial independence, aiming to reduce the high recidivism rates and help women on their path back to society.

Jira Wongswan, 17, Bangkok, Thailand - Doing Right Prize

We should encourage the perceived “morally right” decision in different situations by providing external incentives e.g. money. Although this could possibly lead to performative acts of morality, the extrinsic motivations for doing these acts will differ, so some may do it for something as simple as a compliment.

WINNER: Pat Lochanakosin, 17, Bangkok, Thailand - Ethics Labs

Incorporated ‘Ethics Labs’ in communities and schools – these are interactive spaces where youth can rethink unjust systems, role-play actual situations, and practice making decisions based on empathy. Use lived simulations in place of passive lectures. By making morality experiential rather than abstract, we raise a generation that naturally values justice over convenience and well-being over profit.

A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated judges and supporters The Star (Kenya), Rivers Foundation (UK), The Linbury Trust (UK), Google, and volunteers for their unwavering belief in nurturing young minds through creativity.