From first-time coders to seasoned makers, this year every single Coolest Projects creator brought all their creativity to their tech projects and made something to be proud of. Over 15,000 young people showcased more than 4,500 creations on a global stage. With participants from 40 countries and 47% girls, this year’s online showcase is a true reflection of what the next generation of tech creators looks like.

Yesterday our global livestream brought together the whole Coolest Projects community to celebrate the young people’s creations with some very special guests.

Meet our 2026 VIP judges and their favourite projects

Every year, we invite new special VIP judges to choose their favourite projects from each of the seven Coolest Projects categories. Meet our 2026 judges and find out about the projects they picked.

Ronit Levavi Morad, Strategy and Operations Lead at Google Research 

Ronit is the Strategy and Operations Lead for Google Research and an AI for Education champion. In her role reimagining the future of learning, Ronit is a passionate advocate for technology in service of pedagogy, leading Google Research’s global AI Literacy initiatives. She champions a human-centered vision for technology, spearheading programs like Al Quests, a gamified experience designed to teach teens how AI can be applied to humanity’s greatest challenges.

Ronit’s favourite projects are:

• Scratch: FishyFighter by Julian from Ireland
• Web: Ulearn by Zoe from Japan
• Games: Find the Bug by Jibraan from South Africa
• Mobile apps: LumiCycle- Erasing Period Stigma for Younger Generations made by perTech by Rianna, Sana, Xintong, and Melania from Japan
• Hardware: DIY Raspberry Pi Air Quality Monitor: Helping Leonidas Breathe Better by Katerina and Leonidas from Greece
• Advanced programming: Curva by Elaina from the USA
• AI: Ornimetrics – A Raspberry Pi Smart Bird Feeder Powered by AI Vision by Baichen from the USA

Ben Powley, Senior Developer at Jagex

Ben is a senior developer at British video game company Jagex, working on RuneScape to deliver immersive experiences for both new and existing players. He previously worked at Ubisoft on the Assassin’s Creed series and the Avatar Frontiers of Pandora game. Ben learned to code at 12 through making mods for Minecraft, and he has been passionate about game development ever since.

Ben’s favourite projects are:

• Scratch: Cool little game by Rumyana from Bulgaria
• Web: ECOSORT AI by Dyllan and Francis from Kenya
• Games: Sub Racers by Haseeb from the UK
• Mobile apps: HopeLink by Daniel from Canada
• Hardware: Binardo Binstein by Shlok Bharadwaj and Anhad Mahajan from India
• Advanced programming: Redrose Linux by Juraj from Slovakia
• AI: MultiRisk by Chiara and Sofia from Argentina

Akari Kawaguchi, youth mentor, CoderDojo Japan

Akari is a 16-year-old CoderDojo member from Japan who has showcased her own projects at Coolest Projects seven times. She knows exactly what it takes to make something special for the showcase, and we’re so excited to have a young creator’s perspective on the judging panel!

Akari’s favourite projects are:

• Scratch: Glitch by Daniel from Armenia
• Web: Dot & Box Game by Shrija from India
• Games: VR Immersive Buddhist Debate: Digital Inheritance of Tibetan Buddhist Culture by Yuhan from China
• Mobile apps: SyncFit by Riho, Sara, Kaho, Ran, and Yuiko from Japan
• Hardware: AquaGuard by Kyle from the USA
• Advanced programming: TGSW crop disease detection system by Dasari Vaishnavi, Kondrapally Jhansi, and Alimineti Kalpana from India
• AI: TideGuard AI by Vladimir from the Russian Federation

Sebin Sunny, CEO, EIC IIITM-K

Sebin is CEO of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center (EIC) and the Centre of Excellence in loT Sensors at the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management – Kerala (IIITM-K). A passionate advocate for innovation, he is committed to empowering entrepreneurs, creating sustainable solutions, and shaping the future of technology-driven industries.

Sebin’s favourite projects are:

• Scratch: Click and Win by Sarthak from India
• Web: coolsongs by Moksh from India
• Games: red line green line (version of snakes and ladders) by Moksh from India
• Mobile apps: Accomplit by Audrey and Maggie from the USA
• Hardware: Project Code Cloud by Tiarna and Chloe from Australia
• Advanced programming: Visture by Lionel from Indonesia 
• AI: Project Albatross: Bio-Inspired Reactive Control Strategies for Atmospheric Energy Harvesting in Fixed-Wing UAVs by Akshara from the USA

Broadcom Coding with Commitment® award

The Broadcom Coding With Commitment® award shines a light on creators who use coding to support and strengthen their communities with a project that aligns with 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations.

This year’s Broadcom Coding with Commitment® recipient for the online showcase is Egehan from Türkiye, with their Scratch project Viridia – Back to the World, an educational game designed to teach players about the importance of water and how to use it responsibly.

Get inspired and keep creating!

Browse the Coolest Projects 2026 online gallery to discover thousands of incredible projects from young people all over the world. 

Inspired to make your own project? Or encourage a young person you know? To get you started, we offer over 200 free coding projects, in English and many other languages.

Want to know more about next year’s showcase?

Coolest Projects will be back online in 2027. Sign up to the newsletter to be the first to hear about dates, deadlines, and exciting updates.

And did you know there are in-person Coolest Projects events around the globe? There is still time to take part in Coolest Projects India and other partner events this year. Find out more.

Thank you to the Coolest Projects sponsors

We want to say a big thank you to Broadcom Foundation, Amazon Future Engineer, Vilros, Qube-RT, Avnet, and GoTo for sponsoring Coolest Projects 2026 and helping to celebrate young tech creators around the world.