Schlagwort: coolest projects 2025

  • Coolest Projects 2025: Where 11,980 young tech creators shared their ideas

    Coolest Projects 2025: Where 11,980 young tech creators shared their ideas

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    From AI-powered inventions to eco-friendly gadgets, young creators from around the world have once again amazed us at this year’s Coolest Projects online showcase. An incredible 11,980 participants from 41 countries shared 5,952 tech projects in our online gallery, and every single one showed creativity and commitment to learning something new.

    A young creator playing a game made in Scatch

    Coolest Projects is an annual global showcase for young people who love to make things with technology, whether it’s a clever Scratch game, a hardware hack, or an app that solves a real-world problem. 

    In 2025, we introduced a brand new AI category, supported by Amazon Future Engineer and Allianz, which drew over 100 impressive entries, covering everything from mood-sensing AI tools to jellyfish vs plastic bag image classifiers.

    Last week, we celebrated all of these brilliant makers in a special livestream event. As always, a panel of VIP judges selected a few standout creations to highlight this year. You can catch up on the livestream here.

    Meet our 2025 judges below and find out which projects inspired them the most.

    Judges’ favourite projects 2025

    Kelly Shiohira | Director, Global Science of Learning Education Network

    Kelly is the director of the Global Science of Learning Education Network, a global group of scientists, researchers, and educationalists working to improve learning experiences for all. With a strong background in AI and education technology, Kelly was awarded the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy.

    Check out Kelly’s favourites:

    The AI favourites

    Matt Gascoyne | Engineer at British Antarctic Survey

    Matt is a software and electronics engineer at the British Antarctic Survey, developing innovative digital projects in some of the world’s most remote environments. From testing code in the freezing Antarctic to debugging with penguins nearby, Matt brings creativity and resilience to his tech work.

    Check out Matt’s favourites:

    The Games favourites

    Ebona Eastmond-Henry | Augmented Reality Partnerships at Niantic

    Ebona leads product marketing in EMEA at Niantic, the creators of Pokémon GO. With a background in fashion and television, she brings a flair for storytelling to the world of augmented reality and mixed reality.

    Check out Ebona’s favourites:

    The Scratch favourites

    Amar Kedare | Programs Lead, WPP Foundation

    Amar leads digital education initiatives at the WPP Foundation, enabling underserved youth to explore tech through coding, robotics, and design. Recognised as the Young CSR Leader in 2023, Amar combines creativity, technology, and social impact to empower the next generation.

    Check out Amar’s favourite projects:

    The Advanced favourites

    Discover more projects and get inspired

    Now that you’ve met the judges and seen some of the standout projects they picked, why not explore the full Coolest Projects 2025 online showcase? Dive into thousands of brilliant ideas from young creators around the world — and let their creativity spark your next big tech project!

    In-person events still to come in 2025

    For some creators, there’s still time to get involved this year, with in-person events coming up in India, South Africa, Ghana, and more. Head to our website to see if there’s an in-person event happening near you.

    2 young creators speaking to a judge at Coolest Projects UK

    Want to know more about the next online showcase?

    Coolest Projects will be back online and with in-person events around the globe in 2026. Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to hear about dates, deadlines, and exciting updates.

    Thank you to our sponsors

    Support from our Coolest Projects sponsors means we can make the online showcase and celebration livestream an inspiring experience for the young people taking part. We want to say a big thank you to Broadcom Foundation, Allianz, Amazon Future Engineer, Qube-RT, Avnet and GoTo.

    Website: LINK

  • Young creators on the move at Coolest Projects Belgium 2025

    Young creators on the move at Coolest Projects Belgium 2025

    Reading Time: 3 minutes
    Children celebrating the 10th anniversary of Coolest Projects Belgium.

    This year marked the 10th anniversary of Coolest Projects Belgium. The meticulously organised event was held in April by our partner CoderDojo Belgium, at Technopolis in Mechelen. Themed ‘On the move’, the event invited young creators to interpret movement however they liked – which they did in an impressive number of ways, creating projects ranging from mobile robots and Scratch animations to AI tools, health tech devices, and a musical drink maker.

    With 52 inspiring creations showcased by 71 young people, there were too many awesome projects to list individually in this blog post. Here are just a few of our highlights from a day filled with big ideas and brilliant builds.

    Photo of a Raspberry Pi Pico W.

    Rune | IINTS (Insulin Is Not the Solution)

    Rune, who has type 1 diabetes, built his own open-source insulin pump powered by Raspberry Pi Pico W and featuring a custom motor-controlled delivery system designed in Autodesk Fusion. Rune’s pump calculates insulin doses based on carbohydrate amounts entered – all with the goal of empowering people, raising awareness, and making medical technology more accessible.

    Rune enjoying themselves during the event.

    Amir | AmirAI 

    Amir might only be 10, but he is already experimenting with chatbots and AI in creative and playful ways. His self-coded AI assistant could respond live to visitors’ prompts, producing jokes and answers to questions. Amir’s project was a great demonstration of how accessible complex technologies can be when you give young people space to explore them.

    A project created by Jules named Operatie Mocktail.

    Jules | Operatie Mocktail

    This Arduino-powered machine blends mocktails based on your music choices. Pick a song, and the machine mixes a custom drink to match the song’s mood. It is a joyful combination of engineering, flavour science, and artistic flair. Jules described it best: “I want to create a unique drinking experience that connects taste and music in a surprising way.” We think it’s just right!

    Mona after attending Coolest Projects.

    Mona | On the Move

    Mona’s project is a reimagination of Michael Rosen’s poem On the Move created in Scratch, featuring animation, sound, and voice-over. It is a wonderful example of how digital storytelling can give new life to spoken word, and how creative coding platforms like Scratch provide space for emotion and expression.

    Digital making: more than just a skill

    Beyond these projects, the showcase included creations such as autonomous robots, arcade games, imaginative interface devices, and even a computer-controlled magic wand factory made of Lego bricks. Whether it was a creator’s very first Scratch project or a hand-built automaton, the range of work on display showed that coding and digital making are not just skills – they’re tools for self-expression, exploration, and change.

    We would like to say a massive thank you to CoderDojo Belgium for hosting such an incredible event, and to the young creators, families, volunteers, and judges who made it such a success.

    We are already looking forward to seeing what participants will create next!

    Website: LINK

  • Young tech creators take over Bradford at Coolest Projects UK

    Young tech creators take over Bradford at Coolest Projects UK

    Reading Time: 5 minutes

    Bradford was buzzing with excitement this May as over 170 young digital makers from across the UK gathered for Coolest Projects UK 2025 at the Life Centre to celebrate the amazing things young people create with technology. Run by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and hosted by BBC science presenter Greg Foot, the free, in-person event brought together budding creators, families, mentors, and even a few troops of Scouts for a fun-filled day.

    From AI tools and advanced programming to Scratch games and hardware builds, the showcase featured an incredible range of projects from 113 Coolest Projects participants and 58 scouts. Every young person received thoughtful feedback from industry professionals, the chance to try hands-on coding challenges, and the thrill of sharing what they built with a welcoming crowd and other creators.

    Two young creators connecting on the day over a project.

    A day of discovery and digital making

    Coolest Projects UK 2025 wasn’t just about showcasing finished products; it celebrated every part of the creative journey. Many creators shared works-in-progress or prototypes, sparking conversations around design, problem-solving, and learning through code.

    One of the day’s highlights was an interactive escape room designed just for the event, giving attendees a chance to flex their logical thinking and collaboration skills. And for 58 visiting Scouts, the day was a chance to earn their Digital Maker Badge and share their creations with the showcase participants.

    Two young scouts getting hands-on at a workshop.

    Greg Foot is known for BBC Radio 4’s Sliced Bread and other popular science shows. He brought energy and enthusiasm as host, sharing stories and celebrating young people’s creativity on stage.

    Greg hosting the awards ceremony where every participant received an award along with a few being given the extra recognition of judges’ favourite.

    A platform for everyone

    Many of this year’s participants came from local Code Clubs, CoderDojos, and schools across the UK. Others had worked independently to bring their ideas to life. The event encouraged collaboration and connection, with creators exchanging feedback, learning from each other, and celebrating shared interests.

    Earlier this year, young people from Bradford also had the chance to take part in hands-on workshops. Held at the National Science and Media Museum, they were guided on getting started with digital making and developing their own project ideas for the showcase.

    Featured projects

    Here are a few of the projects that were showcased on the day. Each one demonstrates the power of digital tools and the fun and creativity that young people bring to their Coolest Projects journeys. Here’s what the creators had to say about their work, what inspired them, and their experiences of the day:

    Arlo | MUST. EAT. DONUTS., AI

    Arlo’s interactive game featured AI models that used face and mouth tracking to make the main character, called Chompy, mirror the movements of the player. Arlo’s game was inspired by a session at his Code Club. He came across a video sensing motion plug-in and realised he could make a game that used the player’s head as the controller. 

    “It is a fun and silly game for all to play. I also created the artwork myself in my own style, as drawing is another one of my passions, alongside coding. I would love to come back next year, maybe in a different category. I wanted to enter because I got the chance to share my coding and drawing skills, and I was excited to think others may play a game I created.”

    Arlo showing his project to the event host Greg Foot.

    Felicia and Francesca | The Silent Forest, Scratch

    Felicia and Francesca created a top-down, Zelda-style RPG in Scratch, where the player explores a pixel world and interacts with characters and objects. Instead of using the keyboard, the game is controlled with a Micro:bit. Felicia shared with us why they wanted to showcase the game at Coolest Projects.

    “I went to Coolest Projects UK because I love making things with Scratch and wanted to show my game to other people. It was a fun way to share what I built, see what other kids made, and learn new ideas. I wanted to challenge myself and be part of something really cool!”

    Eesa, Yahya and Yusha | Let’s Speak Arabic!, Scratch

    Let’s Speak Arabic is an interactive program designed to help people learn conversational Arabic. Eesa, Yahya, and Yusha are home educated and study a book called Al Arabiyyah Bayna Yadayk together. This inspired them to think about fun ways to upgrade their study, and the idea for gamifying their learning through Scratch was born. The team shared a little about their experience:

    “The event was awesome. Actually, it was even better than we imagined! We loved meeting people from all over the country, really enjoyed playing other people’s games, and got lots of ideas for what we could code in the future. And, our parents were so proud we got judge’s favourite!”

    Jay | J Bot, Hardware

    Jay is a long-time friend of the Foundation and has been taking part in Coolest Projects online and in person for the past few years. He wowed again this year with his life-sized J Bot and shared with us why he thinks Coolest Projects is such an important event for the young creator community.

    “I know it might seem a bit intimidating to come and showcase in front of all these people, but I feel more and more people should try and get involved [in Coolest Projects] because it’s a really good community of people. And they are really supportive as well. So I would just say, give it a go. Don’t be nervous because people are here to help you along the way.”

    Jay showing his project, J Bot, to another young creator.

    What’s next?

    Coolest Projects UK continues to grow as a platform for the next generation of changemakers. We can’t wait to see what they create next!

    Although the online showcase and Foundation-led events are now closed for this year, there are still many more partner events happening globally throughout 2025.

    Visit coolestprojects.org to learn more.

    A young creator showcasing her hardware project.

    Code Club: A place to keep creating

    Coolest Projects is just one part of the Raspberry Pi Foundation’s work to help young people explore computing. Across the UK and Ireland, over 2000 free Code Clubs offer sessions where young people build digital skills, grow in confidence, and work on creative projects with others. Across the world, there are nearly 6000 more clubs running.To find your local Code Club or get involved as a volunteer, head to codeclub.org.

    Website: LINK

  • Celebrating young tech creators at Coolest Projects Ireland 2025

    Celebrating young tech creators at Coolest Projects Ireland 2025

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Earlier this month, young creators gathered at the Sport Ireland Campus National Indoor Training Centre in Dublin for Coolest Projects Ireland 2025, an inspiring showcase of creativity, coding, and problem solving. With more than 80 participants sharing over 60 incredible projects, this year’s event highlighted the passion and innovation of young creators from across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

    The day offered the chance for young people to share their digital projects, engage with a like-minded community, chat with VIP judges, and take part in exciting coding activities like Astro Pi Mission Zero. The event was once again supported by Meta, who sponsored the new AI category, continuing their commitment to promoting the importance of digital skills to young people.

    Photo of two young people showing the Coolest Projects judges their project at Coolest Projects Ireland 2025.

    Celebrating creativity 

    Coolest Projects is a space for all digital projects, across all levels and categories, from hardware inventions to AI to Scratch. The event celebrates not just the finished products, but also the learning journeys of young creators and skills such as problems solving and creativity.

    Helen Gardner, Programme Manager at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, shared her enthusiasm about this year’s showcase:

    “Returning to Dublin for Coolest Projects is always such a joy! It’s incredible to see the enthusiasm, creativity, and talent of young creators as they bring their ideas to life. This event is all about celebrating the community and inspiring the next generation of problem-solvers. It’s always so inspiring to witness their amazing projects and the energy they bring to the day!”

    Participants at Coolest Projects Ireland included young people from schools, coding clubs such as Code Club and CoderDojo, and independent makers. Many were returning participants, excited to showcase their latest projects and connect with fellow creators. The sense of community and encouragement was felt throughout the event, with mentors, parents, and judges offering valuable support and feedback to support growth and celebrate achievements.

    Spotlight on the judges favourites

    This year, judges were particularly impressed with the originality and impact of the projects. We caught up with four of the creators to find out why being involved in Coolest Projects Ireland was important to them.

    Photo of creators on stage at Coolest Projects Ireland alongside Meta judges.

    Sister duo, Riddhiba and Aarushiba, created Innovaid, a project that uses technology to improve safety at events.

    “We wanted to solve a problem that was affecting a large number of people. Having read news articles, and having talked to people who have had bad experiences at concerts and large events, we wanted to solve this problem that has been ongoing for many years. Although technology has advanced rapidly in the past years, there are still flaws in large event management leading to incidents and deaths. We wanted to incorporate safety, medical aid, crowd management, and inclusivity.”

    “Coolest Projects Ireland was an amazing experience for both of us, we got the opportunity to meet with so many people that were so passionate about technology and coding. We met many people who also wanted to make a change in society, or wanted to solve problems.”

    Coolest Projects also welcomed an AI category, supported by Meta, for the first time, which included Kirsty’s entry, A haon, dó, trí – Learn with me. Kirsty’s entry used machine learning to help learners master the Irish language in an engaging and interactive way. Kirsty shared a little about her journey with the project

    Photo of young creator Kirsty, with her A haon, dó, trí – Learn with me project.

    “I really enjoyed some of the machine learning with Scratch projects on the Raspberry Pi site. While doing the ‘Alien language’ project, it occurred to me that I could use a similar approach to build a game to help young kids learn Irish.”

    “I had to build my own Irish language training data set so I recorded lots of speech samples from my school friends. However, I go to an all-girls school, which would have meant my training data would have been very limited! So I recorded some boys’ voices at my CoderDojo to make my data set more varied and balanced.”

    In the Games category, Timi received acknowledgement for his project, Stakes & Laughters Maximus.

    “I got the idea from a story my dad told me about when I was younger. I apparently got really upset when I lost a game of Snakes and Ladders. So, I wanted to make a Snakes and Ladders game that wasn’t just about luck. I wanted players to have to think strategically about how to use their luck.”

    “There were many challenges! Everything from the character movement to the turn system and the items presented roadblocks. But I broke through them by carefully thinking about what I wanted to achieve and then using code to create the logic for it.”

    Photo of Timi's project - Stakes & Laughters Maximus displayed on a monitor.

    Get involved

    The Coolest Projects online showcase is open for entries, providing young people worldwide the opportunity to share their digital creations.

    We also have upcoming in-person events in the US, UK, and around the world thanks to our partner organisations. You can find out more and get involved with these through the Coolest Projects website.

    Finally, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who made Coolest Projects Ireland 2025 such a fantastic experience! We can’t wait to see what young innovators create next year.

    Website: LINK

  • Entry is open for Coolest Projects 2025

    Entry is open for Coolest Projects 2025

    Reading Time: 6 minutes

    Coolest Projects is our global technology showcase for young people aged up to 18. Coolest Projects gives young creators the incredible opportunity to share the cool stuff they’ve made using digital technology with a global audience. Everyone who takes part will also receive certificates and rewards to celebrate their achievements.

    Young creator Jay showcases his Coolest Projects creation at an in-person event.

    What you need to know about Coolest Projects

    The Coolest Projects online showcase is open to young people worldwide. Young creators can enter their projects to share them with the world in our online project gallery and join our extra special livestream event to celebrate what they have made with the global Coolest Projects community.

    By taking part in Coolest Projects, young people can join an international community of young makers, represent their country, receive feedback on their projects, and get certificates to recognise their achievements.

    Coolest Projects is completely free to take part in, and we welcome all digital technology projects, from young people’s very first projects to advanced builds. The projects also don’t have to be completed before they can be submitted.

    Photo of two young people sitting at laptops at a Coolest Projects event.

    Projects can be submitted to one of seven categories: Scratch, games, web, mobile apps, hardware, advanced programming, and AI (new for 2025).

    • Young creators up to age 18 can take part individually or in teams of up to five friends
    • Any young person anywhere in the world can take part in the online showcase, and there are in-person events in some countries for local creators, too (find out more below)
    • Submissions for the online showcase are now open and close on 28 May 2025
    • All creators, mentors, volunteers, teachers, parents, and supporters are invited to the special celebration livestream on 25 June 2025

    We know Coolest Projects has a big impact on young people all over the world, and we can’t wait to see your creations for 2025. You can find out more about the incredible creativity and collaboration from mentors and makers worldwide in our 2024 impact report.

    How to submit your project

    Photo of three young creators discussing their project at an in-person Coolest Projects event.

    Taking part in Coolest Projects is simple:

    • Young people think of an idea for their project or choose something they’ve already made and are proud of
    • Young people work with friends to create their project or make it on their own 
    • Creators (with the help of mentors if needed) enter projects via the Coolest Projects website by 28 May
    • Creators’ projects are shared with the world in the online showcase gallery
    • Creators, mentors, and supporters explore the amazing projects in the online gallery and join the livestream on 25 June to celebrate young creators’ achievements with the Coolest Projects community worldwide

    Mentors — entering more than one project? Sign up for a group code, and your young people can link their projects to your account.

    1. Sign up or log in. If you don’t have one already, you’ll need to set up a Raspberry Pi account. Click on the ‘sign up’ link in the top right-hand corner of the website to create one, and provide your details. You’ll be emailed a verification code as part of the sign-up process. If you already have an account, you can just log in.
    1. Create a group. Once signed in, you’ll be able to create a group. You’ll be asked questions about your group, including the group name and the country you’re based in, and be asked to agree to some privacy policies before continuing. You will then be able to view your group code and group submissions on your group dashboard. 
    Digital photo of the Coolest Porjects 2025 group code dashboard
    1. Share your group code with your young people. Your group dashboard should look like this, with your group code displayed. The group code is what your young people will need to link their submissions to your account. They’ll be asked to input their group code at the start of the project submission form.

    Submit your coolest projects. Every young person who uses your group code will have their project linked to your account. You can review and edit their projects in your group dashboard and submit them from there. There is no limit to the number of young people who can submit entries using your group code.

    For a more detailed run-through of how to use group codes, please see our ‘how-to’ video.

    Coolest Projects in-person events in 2025

    As well as the global online showcase, Coolest Projects in-person events are held for young people locally in certain countries. We encourage creators to take part in both the online showcase and their local in-person event. In 2025, creators can attend the following in-person events, run by the Raspberry Pi Foundation and partner organisations around the world:

    • Coolest Projects Ireland, 1 March 2025 (run by the Foundation) — entry closes on Friday 14 February 
    • Coolest Projects Belgium, 26 April 2025 (run by CoderDojo Belgium)
    • Coolest Projects USA, 5 April 2025 (run by the Foundation) — entry closes on Friday 14 March 2025
    • Coolest Projects UK, 17 May 2025 (run by the Foundation) — entry closes on Friday 2 May 2025 
    • Coolest Projects India, 2025 date coming soon (run by the Foundation)
    • Coolest Projects Ghana, 2025 date coming soon (run by Ghana Code Club)
    • Coolest Projects Malaysia, 2025 date coming soon (run by Penang Science Cluster)
    • Coolest Projects South Africa, 2025 date coming soon (run by CoderLevelUp)
    Photo of young creators getting ready to cheer, whilst attending an in-person Coolest Projects event.

    More events are on the way, so sign up for the Coolest Projects newsletter to be sure you hear about any in-person events in your country. And if there isn’t an event near you, don’t worry, as the online showcase is open to any young person anywhere in the world.

    Need help with your submission? 

    Coolest Projects welcomes all digital tech projects, from beginner to advanced, and there are loads of great resources available to help you help the young people in your community to take part. If you’re searching for inspiration, take a look at the 2024 showcase gallery, where you can explore the incredible projects submitted by participants last year.

    You’ll find everything you need to know about all seven Coolest Projects categories on our category pages, including our brand new AI category. Our projects site is also a great place for participants to begin — there are hundreds of free step-by-step project guides to help young people create their own projects, whether they’re experienced tech creators or just getting started.

    Photo of a young creator showcasing they're project to two Raspberry Pi Foundation judges.

    We will also be running a series of online webinars for mentors and young people to help participants develop their creations for each Coolest Projects category. Sign up for the sessions here. All sessions will be recorded, so you can watch them back if you can’t join live.

    Be sure to check out the Coolest Projects guidance page for resources to help you support young people throughout their Coolest Projects journey, including a mentor guide and session plans. 

    There’s lots more exciting news to come, from the announcement of our VIP judges to details about this year’s swag, so sign up for updates to be the first to know. 

    Whether your coders have already made something that they want to share, or they’re inspired to make something new, Coolest Projects is the place for them. We can’t wait to see what they create!

    Website: LINK