FAQs for Participants
- Primary school level – Standard 1 to Standard 6 (Typically aged 7-12)
- Secondary school level – Form 1 to Form 5 (Typically aged 13-18)
- Participants may enter individually or in teams of up to three members.
- All skill levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced, and projects may use any programming language and any hardware, as long as they fit within the competition categories.
- Coolest Projects Malaysia is open to students in Malaysia only, with a focus on creativity, participation, and most of all, having fun!
Yes! As long as your project submission is complete and adheres to all our rules and regulations!
This competition has received approval from the Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia. However, due to changes in procedures and rules, the level at which PAJSK marks are awarded can only be confirmed post-competition. In Coolest Projects Malaysia 2025, PAJSK marks were at peringkat kebangsaan.
No, please note that Coolest Projects Malaysia 2026 is open only to Malaysian students. We appreciate your understanding.
This year, your project should fit into one of the five categories: Visual Programming (including projects that use Scratch or other visual programming languages to program hardware or electronic elements), Hardware, Games, Web, and Mobile Apps.
Participants may only submit and be judged on one project (individual or group) in Coolest Projects Malaysia. Any second or subsequent projects submitted by the same participant will be disqualified.
- Have your project URL ready.
- Make sure you compress your project into a ZIP file.
- Click here to see the steps for zipping your project for submission.
Mentorship will not be provided for Coolest Projects Malaysia 2026. However, you are welcome to find your own mentor to guide you if needed.
Your project must be submitted via our form by __ 2026. Shortlisting will begin immediately afterwards, and we will reach out to you if you are shortlisted.
All projects should be submitted in English or Bahasa Malaysia. A video with audio in Bahasa Malaysia is required to have embedded English subtitles.
Of course, we welcome all!
Travel and accommodation bursaries are provided for finalists from outside Penang (a maximum of 3 students and 1 accompanying adult) who will attend the final stage of the competition. Interested finalist participants can apply for these travel and accommodation bursaries through a channel that will be announced later. Terms and conditions apply.
Sorry, this year, in 2026, we are only open to students studying in Malaysia. We apologize for any inconvenience and hope you understand.
The judging process has two phases:
Phase 1: Remote shortlisting
Phase 2: Showcase of Finalist Projects
During the remote shortlisting phase, judges will give each project a score out of 10 for each criterion: Coolness, Complexity, Presentation & Communication, and Design & Usability. Shortlisted finalists will then be reviewed by our panel of VIP judges to select their favourites.
- Does the project ‘wow’ you?
- Are you surprised or excited by the project idea?
- Is it something you’d be proud to show to other people?
- Is it original or unique in some way?
- Does it communicate the personality of its creators?
- How ambitious is the project (both in terms of the idea behind it and its execution)?
- How many processes have the creator(s) followed to make the project?
- What level of technical knowledge have they demonstrated?
- How difficult do you think it was for the creator(s) to make this project?
- How effectively have the creator(s) communicated the idea behind their project and the function(s) it is intended to serve?
- How much care and attention has gone into the visual design of the project? Does it look cool?
- How well have the creator(s) answered the three questions asked in the registration form?
- Does the project work in the way it’s intended to?
- Is the project user-friendly?
- Would people have fun interacting with it?
- How easy is it to use the project for its intended purpose?
Remember: Projects don’t need to be finished, but ensure you are happy with your project before submitting it (by __ 2026), as no changes can be accepted after submission.
Your project can only be judged properly if we can view and fully understand your project, so check the following before you submit:
- The link to your project or video must be set to ‘public’, as the judges want to see your project!
- You must answer all three questions in your project. Your answers need to be in English or Bahasa Malaysia.
My project relates to a problem in my community
Choose the Community topic if your project is designed to increase awareness of (or solve) a problem you have noticed in our society and feel is important. This could relate to mental illness, homelessness, discrimination, or social justice, or it could address any sort of condition or lack of behavior that has negative consequences for a group in your community.
My project relates to the environment
Choose the Environment topic if your project is designed to increase awareness of environmental issues or solve problems that are important to maintaining or repairing our natural environment. This could be related to earth science, climate change, nature, biodiversity, or other environmental topics.
My project is about health, well-being, or medicine
Choose the Health topic if your project is designed to raise awareness of (or solve) problems that are important to the health and well-being of people in our society.
My project is all about having fun
Choose the Fun topic if your project is designed to entertain people who engage with it. It could help people relax, have fun, or think about something they enjoy. This could be a game, film, story, toy, or any other entertaining and engaging digital object.
My project is artistic or creative
Choose the Art topic if your project is a creative piece designed to be appreciated for the beauty or emotional power of its sounds and visuals, with or without interaction from the audience. This could be a piece of music, visual art, an animation, a drawing, a collage, a film, or any other aesthetically interesting digital object.
My project teaches people about something
Choose the Education topic if your project is designed to help people learn something, practice skills, or to impart knowledge to the user. This could be a game, a film, a story, a quiz, an animation, or any other educational digital object.
My project is about me, my family, or my culture
Choose the Identity topic if your project is designed to share with the user an aspect of your life, culture, or personality that is important to you. This could be related to your beliefs, the cultural or social norms where you live, your personal or gender identity, or anything else about your life that is personal to you or someone close to you.
Kindly note that the judging process is final, and we are unable to accommodate inquiries regarding the decisions made. We appreciate your understanding and support.