The "Empathy Programming Design Competition for Seniors" has officially entered its third year! Since its inception in 2024, the competition has attracted more than 50 schools and over 110 student teams to participate each year, with a very enthusiastic response.
We thank all the faculty and students for their continued support, and the Digital Policy Office, Cyberport, and many of our partner organizations for their recognition and encouragement, which has enabled the conference to improve in scale and quality for three consecutive years. We are also delighted to see more and more students using technology to care for the community and turning their creativity into innovative solutions that can actually help the community.
This year's competition has been upgraded in every way!
"Intergenerational Harmony | From the Caregiver's Perspective—Developing a Thoughtful Mobile App to Protect the Health of the Elderly"
In Hong Kong, caregivers are not limited to the younger generation; many elderly people also shoulder the role of caregivers themselves . While managing their own health, they also need to take care of the daily lives and health of their spouses or family members, bearing continuous and low-key pressure.
本屆比賽鼓勵學生深入了解這群默默付出的照顧者，並以其真實需要為出發點，運用創新科技與人本設計理念，開發一款結合 Health Kit／Sport Kit 的貼心手機應用程式。透過「長幼共融」理念，比賽作品不僅可支援長者的健康/運動數據測量與關注照護者的身心健康需求，更能作為溝通橋樑，讓學生以科技打破數碼鴻溝，建立溫暖的跨代連結。
我們希望透過這一過程，讓學生透過智慧生活應用改善社區健康，以科技連結關懷，同時實踐「以人為本的數碼轉型」，讓學生在研發過程中深切體會長者的需求，推動長者、照護者與年輕一代共同構建健康與幸福的智慧生活。
Competition Category - Programming Languages
This year's competition added an iOS App Development category to the secondary school division , providing students with a wider range of platform options.
MIT
App Inventor
iOS
(Applicable to primary and secondary school students)
(Applicable only to secondary school students )
Whether it's the MIT App Inventor or iOS group, we expect students to unleash their creativity in their respective groups, make good use of different tools and expansion components, and design applications that are closer to user needs and can truly help the community.
Match content
Competition Theme
"Intergenerational Harmony | From the Caregiver's Perspective—Developing a Thoughtful Mobile App to Protect the Health of the Elderly"
Participants will focus on the real-world experiences of caregivers, utilizing innovative technology and human-centered design to develop a mobile application that integrates a Smart Learning Suite | Health Kit & Sport Kit . The project will not only support the measurement of health/exercise data for seniors and address the physical and mental well-being needs of caregivers, but also serve as a bridge, allowing students to use technology to break down the digital divide and build warm intergenerational connections.
Programming languages
MIT App Inventor Group
iOS Team : Developing iOS Apps with Swift
*The primary school category is only open to MIT App Inventor participants; the iOS category is only open to secondary school participants. Participants can indicate their development category when submitting their work.
Competition Kit
iREd Smart Learning Suite｜Health Kit & Sport Kit
*The app must be connected to and actually use at least one hardware device within the kit.
Scoring Criteria
UI/UX (30%)
Programming (20%)
Innovation and Creativity (15%)
Social impact (15%)
Speech (20%)
Submission Requirements
MIT App Inventor Group:
1. Project Introduction (No more than 15 pages; participants may also include a 5-minute introductory video/video link in the presentation)
2. Android application (both AIA and APK files must be submitted)
3. The organizers will also provide detailed instructions to help participating teams correctly modify the file names of their entries to ensure they meet the submission requirements. (Please refer to the "Team Number Program Name Change Instructions.pdf")
iOS Team:
1. Project Introduction (No more than 15 pages; participants may also include a 5-minute introductory video/video link in the presentation)
2. Compress the entire Xcode project into a zip file.
3. The organizers will also provide detailed instructions to help participating teams correctly modify the file names of their entries to ensure they meet the submission requirements. (Please refer to the iOS Team Number App Name Change Instructions.pdf)
Competition Category
Primary and Secondary School Groups
Preliminary judges
Thirty caregivers were invited to score the entries, and five teams each from the secondary school and primary school groups were selected to enter the finals.
*備註：参賽隊伍可加入不同元件及擴充套件，讓功能更豐富。
Competition kit
比賽規則
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我們在確認報名後，會為每隊分配一個隊伍編號，該號碼將用於初賽及決賽的所有環節。
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參賽對象：
比賽分為兩個年齡組別 「小學組」及「中學組」
・小學組：只設 MIT App Inventor 組
・中學組：設 MIT App Inventor 組 及 iOS 組 -
比賽形式：隊制(每隊 2 至 5 人)，每間學校不限隊數。
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比賽報名截止日期為 2026 年 4 月 30 日，請負責老師填妥並提交網上參賽表格報名。成功報名的學校將收到電郵確認信。
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比賽分為初賽和決賽。從初賽會選出中學及小學各 5 隊參加決賽。
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初賽遞交作品截止日期為：2026 年 5 月 22 日。
請將作品以 zip 檔形式 (請細閱遞交作品要求)，於截止日期前填寫 Google Form或電郵到 support@ired.com.hk / scott.lee@ired.com.hk，請於電郵主旨及 Zip 檔名稱清楚列明學校名稱。 -
每參賽隊伍只可提交一個參賽作品，如參賽隊伍曾更換所提交之參賽作品，主辦單位將以截止時間前所提交的最後一個參賽作品為準。
Important dates of the competition
01
Competition briefing and workshop
March 28, 2026
Date: March 28 (Saturday)
Time: 10:00am - 12:30pm
Location: Room 702, Tsung Chung Christian Secondary School (8 Lai Hong Street, Cheung Sha Wan)
The event has successfully concluded! If you would like to review the event videos, please contact us for inquiries!
02
Pre-competition workshop (iOS App Inventor)
April 22, 2026
03
Competition registration deadline
April 30, 2026
04
Preliminary submission deadline
May 22, 2026
05
The shortlisted teams have been announced (5 teams each for primary and secondary school groups).
June 12, 2026
06
Finals and Awards Ceremony
July 3, 2026, 2 PM - 5 PM
(Please allow sufficient time, teachers and students.)
Cyberport (Tour bus pick-up and drop-off service arranged at 1 pm in Kowloon Tong)
Location
2025 Match Review
Interview clips with the winning team