National Youth Tech Championship Season 3 – Where AI Meets Robotics

1. The National Youth Tech Championship (NYTC) returned for its third season in 2025, expanding its scope to combine Artificial Intelligence (AI) with robotics. This premier national technology competition introduced a first-of-its-kind format where students coded and strategised as a team to navigate both aerial drones and ground-based robots in a fully autonomous manner. The competition’s inaugural robotic navigation segment challenged participants to apply their AI and machine learning knowledge across multiple domains. Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information, who was the Guest-of-Honour at the event, joined over 500 spectators – comprising students, friends, families, supporters and teachers.

2. NYTC 2025 culminated in today’s Finals, where the top 12 teams battled it out in an AI tech derby. The top eight teams (in order of ranking) were:

1. Ngee Ann Secondary School
2. Dunman Secondary School
3. Swiss Cottage Secondary School
4. NUS High School of Mathematics and Science
5. Xinmin Secondary School
6. National Junior College (Secondary)
7. North Vista Secondary School
8. Yusof Ishak Secondary School

The other four teams were: Raffles Institution (Secondary), Beatty Secondary School, Damai Secondary School and Clementi Town Secondary School. Following a victory parade, the winning teams were presented with their prizes at the awards ceremony by Minister Josephine Teo.

3. This flagship national schools’ technology competition, jointly organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Google Cloud, in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), drew more than 320 student participants from 67 secondary schools. This is the biggest ever edition for NYTC since its launch in 2023.

4. NYTC 2025 saw steady growth with 14 new schools joining the competition, bringing fresh talent and enthusiasm to the arena. The championship maintained its commitment to inclusivity by providing identical training resources and opportunities to all participants, ensuring a level playing field regardless of school affiliation or technical experience.

5. To equip the participants with a more comprehensive learning experience, this year’s training programme was enhanced from 30 hours to 42 hours. During this period, participants underwent a focused six-week learning phase where they progressively developed AI skills, learnt to code in Python, and explored machine learning concepts by working with pre-built AI models. Participants also took part in hands-on exercises where they learnt how to develop and deploy basic AI models and implemented AI solutions to pilot their drones to tackle challenges from the Qualifier round to the Finals. Ahead of the Finals, the top 12 teams received intensive training to navigate land rover robots, adding a new dimension to their technical capabilities.

6. IMDA's partnership expanded to include SIT, alongside its existing partner Google Cloud, and this broadened learning opportunities for students in technology and AI:

• Google Cloud, which has partnered IMDA from the inception of NYTC in 2023, expanded its support to align with the advancing capabilities of AI. Participants leveraged Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform to create autonomous drone systems capable of performing complex tasks in various environments.
• In addition to hosting the Finals at its Punggol Campus, 14 undergraduates from diverse programmes at SIT served as student mentors.

Together, IMDA, Google Cloud engineers and SIT student mentors provided valuable guidance, technical support, and encouragement throughout the participants’ training journey from March 2025 to July 2025. This support enabled the participants across all secondary school levels to progressively build their tech skills through structured and applied training.

7. Ms Doreen Tan, Assistant Chief Executive of Strategic Planning and Digital Readiness at IMDA, said, "I am very proud of all the students, over 320 of them, who competed at NYTC, regardless of the competition outcome. They proved that they could, and were willing to, learn, even if they started with zero AI skills. Most importantly, they showed resilience and teamwork throughout the training and competition. Through NYTC, every participant walked away with tertiary-level AI skills, going beyond just the competition experience. Equipping every student with these skills was made possible with the support of our partners, Google Cloud and SIT, and IMDA is thankful to both. NYTC is our vision to give students at Infocomm Media Clubs in schools a platform to test their tech skills, wit, and tenacity in a fun and challenging competition. What the participants at NYTC 2025 have shown gives me great hope that the best is yet to come for Singapore’s digital future.”

8. Mr Bernard Nee, Deputy President (Industry & Community), SIT, said “The NYTC showcases SIT’s hands-on learning approach. These mentorship experiences enhance our students’ technical expertise, foster leadership, and instil a strong sense of community – a core value we strive to impart to all our students. Through this meaningful collaboration, SIT helps our students embody innovation and aims to inspire the younger generation about AI and technology, collectively nurturing future-ready talent for tomorrow's digital landscape.”

9. The NYTC is part of IMDA’s Infocomm Media Clubs (IMC) programme and provides a platform for its members to learn, excel, and be recognised for their achievements. IMDA’s IMC programme provides an enriching Co-Curricular Activity experience for its members across Ministry of Education primary and secondary schools and junior colleges, as well as the Millennia Institute. The programme helps students interested in developing deeper expertise in tech by providing more exposure and equipping them with tech skills, including real-world applications of tech and media. Through the NYTC and other activities under the IMC programme, IMDA will continue to enrich and excite our youths in their tech and media journey. For more information on the IMC programme, please refer to https://www.imda.gov.sg/how-we-can-help/infocomm-media-clubs.