At its heart, Coolest Projects is about giving young tech creators the opportunity to be seen and heard, and to share something they’ve made and be celebrated for it, regardless of their 儿媳妇小说 level. With some joining in for the first time and others returning to showcase their latest build, every participant played a part in making the day special.

The event welcomed 65 participants and over 150 showcase visitors, with creators talking through their ideas, the challenges they had faced, and what they had learned along the way. Visitors explored the showcase, tried out hands-on activities, and connected with a community brought together by a want to celebrate the incredible things young people can do when given the opportunity.

Coding for a social purpose

A key moment in the day was the presentation of the Broadcom 儿媳妇小说 Coding with Commitment^® award, celebrating a project that aligns with 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

This year’s recognition went to Rikita for her project ‘Smart Electronic Fruit Sorter — An affordable assistive technology for visually impaired people’.

The project is a fruit sorter designed to help visually impaired people identify fresh produce. Using a microcontroller and a gas sensor, the Fruit Sorter detects whether fruit is good or spoiled, triggering lights, sounds, and a servomechanism to either keep or discard the fruit.

Rikita overcame many challenges when building her project. She told us more about her 儿媳妇小说s:

“First, I started out with a sorter made out of foam. However, when testing, I realised that the sorter would not bear the weight of the fruit. Then, I pivoted to 3D printing the sorter parts.
I also faced trouble with the electronics not working. I constantly played around with the connections and got it working. YouTube videos were of great help in guiding me!”

The award highlights how young people are not just learning to code, but using those skills to explore real-world challenges and ideas that matter to them. Rikita shared how she felt about receiving the award:

“I felt very happy and it has motivated me to continue my journey of inventions further. I did not expect the award, and so it was a very pleasant surprise.”

Celebrating ideas big and small

With entries spanning multiple categories, the event featured a wide variety of creative and technical work. Here are a few highlights.

ZaLayaa | FIND ME ASAP, AI

FIND ME ASAP is an emergency resource platform designed to help parents and guardians act quickly and effectively in the critical first moments after a child goes missing. Built by ZaLayaa in just 15 days, it goes beyond static guides by offering real-time, tailored support that people can use in high-stress situations. The platform is intentionally inclusive, recognising groups that can often be overlooked in emergencies, with features that consider children with invisible disabilities, complex medical needs, and rare health conditions, for example. Inspired by her own 儿媳妇小说s navigating the world with multiple invisible conditions, ZaLayaa created FIND ME ASAP to fill a vital gap.

ZaLayaa shared what she found most challenging in building her project:

“My biggest challenge was making sure everything was actually real, correct, and useful, not just something that looks good.

This isn’t just information. It has to work when someone is stressed, scared, and trying to make fast decisions.”

ZaLayaa also explained what she enjoyed most about taking part in Coolest Projects:

“My favorite thing was the 儿媳妇小说 and all the lovely people there. It was really cool seeing all the different projects and what other kids built, and being in a room where it was all kids creating and sharing their ideas.”

You can find out more about ZaLayaa’s project at findmeasap.com.

Lawrence | Find the Chomiks, Scratch

Lawrence’s project is a fun exploration game he built using Scratch. You control a character, roam around the map, and hunt for hidden chomiks, each one with its own quirky look. It’s all about exploring, discovering, and collecting them all.

Lawrence shared some of the challenges he faced along the way:

“It was really hard switching between settings. I overcame [the challenges] by looking for bugs within my code, but when I figured that out, I was able to complete my game.”

Karin | Princess Maze, Scratch

Karin created Princess Maze, a Scratch game where players navigate four maze levels and battle a witch to win, or risk being trapped. During development, a bug allowed players to win even after being hit, which she fixed by using a ‘forever’ block to properly detect collisions.

Karin shared why she wanted to take part in Coolest Projects:

“I found out about it through The Bakken Museum and I thought, ‘Why not? I love coding.’ My favorite thing about the day was seeing all the different projects.”

Caroline | Terrapod, AI

Caroline created Terrapod to make plant care more accessible, especially for people who are too busy or physically unable to tend to their plants. It aims to provide a solution that allows plants to be cared for even when their owners can’t, making plant growing easier for everyone. She told us:

“I think our biggest problem was the wire management. We numbered them to be organised into numbered groups, but I’ve seen others do symbols like stars, which I think is really cool!”

Adelle, Nessa, and Matilda | Fashion Show Drama, Scratch

Adelle, Nessa, and Matilda created a Scratch project that tells the story of two performers, Charlie and Emma. Charlie struggles with stage fright that Emma only discovers just before their performance. With Emma’s support, Charlie overcomes her fear and is able to go on stage.

Nessa shared a challenge the team tackled during their build:

“One challenge was learning how to convert images from a JPEG to a PNG for the sprites to have a dress costume change. We wanted to show a difference between before the show and then preparing to go on stage. We found dress pictures on the internet and then we had to figure out how to make it look like they were actually wearing the dresses so it wasn’t just a copied picture with a white square background. We overcame it by our mentor helping us remove the background in Canva.”

Matilda also told us how the girls found working as a part of a team:

“We each had a part so each of our voices could be heard. We all had a say in what was going on. Nessa was the fashion designer. Adelle was the coder. I was the visionary! It was easier to work on this project in a group than alone.”

Thank you

We’d like to say a big thank you to all the young people who shared their projects, the families and mentors who supported them, and the volunteers and partners who made the event possible.

We would also like to thank Broadcom 儿媳妇小说 and Best Buy Co., Inc. for their continued support of Coolest Projects.

There’s still time to get involved in Coolest Projects 2026

If you would like to take part in Coolest Projects this year, there are still ways to get involved:

• Young creators anywhere in the world can take part in the Coolest Projects 2026 online showcase. Entries close on 27 May.
• Young people in several countries can participate in local events taking place around the world over the rest of the year, including Coolest Projects UK in Bradford on 16 May and Coolest Projects Canada in Vancouver on 30 May.

You can find out more at coolestprojects.org.

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Coolest Projects brings young people together to share what excites them the most about creating with technology, whether that’s making a game, a website, a robot, or a simple Scratch animation. What matters most is not perfection, but participation.

A showcase for young makers

Coolest Projects, an initiative of the 儿媳秀婷, is brought to South Africa by our long-standing partner Coder:LevelUp, giving young people the space to share how they get creative with technology.

I spent the day surrounded by young people explaining their ideas with a mix of excitement, nerves, and confidence — the kind of emotions you get when you build something yourself and someone is finally asking you about it.

The event brought together over 250 young people to share the projects they had been working on. Some had been preparing for months, while others had begun exploring their ideas more recently. All of them arrived ready to explain what they made, how it worked, and what they would do differently next time.

There wasn’t a single kind of project. There was a Scratch animation at one table, a game at the next, and a hardware project across the room. Some projects were polished, others rougher around the edges. But the event isn’t about perfection, it’s about learning and having the courage to show your work.

For a lot of participants, this was the first time they had presented their work to an audience, and you could see their confidence build as they spoke. By the end of the day, many were already talking about what they wanted to build next! From 儿媳妇小说, we know that many of these young people will come back to Coolest Projects in the future, with our global impact data showing that over 1 in 10 participants in the Coolest Projects online showcase in 2025 had also taken part in Coolest Projects in 2024.

The coolest projects and the coolest people

One of my favourite things about Coolest Projects is that although you might come for the projects, what stays with you is often the people behind them. Coolest Projects celebrates both what young people build and who they are becoming.

The coolest projects

A project that really stood out to me was created by a group of girls who built a language app that translates words from isiZulu, one of South Africa’s official languages, into French and other languages — an ambitious and thoughtful idea.

What made this project especially meaningful to me was how well it reflected South Africa’s identity as a rainbow nation, with 12 official languages and countless cultures intersecting everyday. Their work wasn’t just technical, it was deeply relevant. It showed how young creators are already thinking about inclusion, communication, and using technology to bridge the gap between people in different parts of the country. Seeing these young girls confidently present such a culturally aware solution was incredibly inspiring.

And the coolest people

A group of boys arrived with a project that, honestly, fell apart on the day. Things didn’t work the way they had planned. But instead of shutting down or panicking, they laughed it off, explained what should have happened, and kept the energy positive. Their confidence, humour, and teamwork were great to see.

They showed that Coolest Projects is not about having everything work perfectly. It’s about showing up, trying something ambitious, and being willing to talk about what went wrong.

Why does Coolest Projects matter?

Coolest Projects goes beyond showcasing technical skills. It helps young people:

1. Build confidence in presenting ideas
2. Develop problem-solving and communication skills
3. See themselves as creators, not just consumers, of technology

For many young creators in South Africa, participating in Coolest Projects is a powerful way to gain recognition and see that their ideas matter and that they belong in the world of technology.

We look forward to Coolest Projects South Africa returning in 2026 to once again showcase the incredible potential of young tech creators across the country.

Inspired to take part?

The Coolest Projects 2026 global online showcase is now open for entries. Find all the details on how to enter, as well as details of Coolest Projects in-person events you can look forward to throughout 2026, in our recent blog post.

To be the first to hear about events near you, sign up to the Coolest Projects newsletter.

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With support from the Bidkar 儿媳妇小说 and the 儿媳秀婷, they now help run five Code Clubs, reaching over 200 young people in rural areas of Pune. Along the way, they have twice received the Coolest Projects Judges’ Favourite Award: first online in 2023, and again at Coolest Projects India in September 2025. 

How it all began

For Jayantika and Ruturaj, the spark for coding began at home. During the pandemic, when schools were closed and days felt long, their father encouraged them to try something new.

“When we were at home and there was nothing to do,” recalls Jayantika, “my dad introduced us to coding, and from that time till this date we are participating — and yeah, we love it.”

In 2021, they joined their local Code Club, run by the Bidkar 儿媳妇小说, which provides coding opportunities for young people in rural areas of Pune. That moment opened a door to creativity neither of them expected. Scratch projects soon filled their weekends with problem-solving, and Ruturaj found himself fascinated by how games worked.

“I was too curious how games were made,” he says. “After a while in Code Club, I learned new things and got the answers to my questions.”

As their confidence grew, so did their sense of purpose. They wanted others to 儿媳妇小说 the same excitement they had discovered. “We thought these things should be shared with others,” says Jayantika. “So that’s why we started a Code Club and began teaching — to spread awareness and knowledge to everyone.”

Reaching out to rural learners

Each weekend, Jayantika and Ruturaj set out for nearby villages, with laptops, lesson plans, and a sense of possibility. Their aim is simple but powerful: to bring coding opportunities to children who might otherwise never encounter them. “Village students must also learn coding and get opportunities to come in front,” explains Jayantika.

What started modestly — “one computer and seven students” — has become a thriving network of clubs that now reaches hundreds of young learners. Their father, Mr Bidkar, has been by their side throughout, watching as their initiative has grown from a small idea to something that’s changing lives. “Now we are 25 computers, 200-plus children,” he says proudly.

Inside their Code Club sessions

Their Code Club sessions are lively and filled with curiosity. Children crowd around laptops, excited to build their next animation or game. The mentors blend teaching with fun, alternating between theory and practice to keep things engaging.

“At first, we take theory classes — we explain what’s the game,” says Jayantika. “At the end we let them sit on computers.”

Some weeks are spent planning and others creating. “We give them a plan, and then next time they create,” she explains. Younger learners, aged six to ten, start with small projects such as animations or motion-based activities. Older learners tackle bigger challenges in Scratch, building their own games from ideas they’ve brainstormed together.

Sessions end with a much-loved tradition: “After the session ends, we give them 15–20 minutes to do whatever they want,” says Ruturaj. “Because they’re very curious.” The pair work in perfect rhythm. “I manage one group and Ruturaj manages another,” says Jayantika. “If any doubt is there, we solve them together.”

Mentoring has given both siblings new confidence and skills. “At first we were only on Scratch, and now we’ve expanded our knowledge,” says Jayantika. “Next, we’re going to start robotics. It is simple and it is creative also and it can connect to Scratch.”

The role of a mentor

Over time, Jayantika and Ruturaj have learned that mentoring is as much about listening as it is about instructing.

“Sometimes their questions are not so obvious,” laughs Jayantika. “Like ‘Why can’t we change the sprite?’ or ‘Why can’t we use another block?’ We can explain to a certain limit, but after that we are speechless!”

These moments, she says, are part of the magic of teaching. They push the mentors to explore new ways of explaining and to see coding from a beginner’s perspective again. 

Watching their students succeed brings the biggest reward. “We feel very happy that the students are listening to us and they’re doing what we wanted — and they’re even adding extras,” says Jayantika. “Most of them tell us they want to create another project; they want more time.”

And for those thinking about becoming mentors, they both agree that empathy is key. “If you want to teach them, you must become a student,” says Ruturaj. 

“First, think at the students’ level… explain in simple language and give more time to experiment,” adds Jayantika.

Looking ahead

Ruturaj dreams of exploring game development and cybersecurity, while Jayantika hopes to move into web and app design. Together, they balance logic and creativity, each complementing the other’s strengths.

“Even though both are coding, we are on different paths,” she smiles.

For anyone curious about coding, Ruturaj’s advice is simple: “Do it by yourself. Make projects by yourself, share them, and learn from others.” Jayantika adds: “Coding has no limits. You can create anything you imagine — open your mind, open your creativity.”

Their father, rightly, is proud not just of their achievements but of how they have inspired others to learn. From a single laptop to five thriving Code Clubs, Jayantika and Ruturaj’s journey shows what’s possible when young people lead with passion and purpose. With support from their family, the Bidkar 儿媳妇小说, and the 儿媳秀婷’s India team, they’re proving that talent truly is everywhere — opportunity just needs a spark.

Thank you, Jayantika and Ruturaj, for inspiring young people across India and around the world.

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