Pinoy students' AI waste management tracker wins Google-ADB award

MANILA — An AI-powered waste-management tracking system developed by a group of Filipino students won an award at the 2025 Google-ADB APAC Solution Challenge.

Google said the competition aims to let students in the Asia Pacific region use Google's AI tools to address critical global challenges. 

"The lone Filipino delegation was comprised by students Josh Gorospe, Joaquin Galang, Eisha Janel Tablante Alva, and Angelica Mae Tadique, all from Holy Angel University in Angeles, Pampanga," Google said. 

The People’s Choice Award comes with a cash prize of $1000 for the students, the giant added. The award celebrates the project that effectively leveraged AI technology to develop a practical solution to pressing issues that affect our communities, Google said.

“It’s one thing to talk about the potential of AI. It’s another thing entirely to witness it in the hands of brilliant, passionate students who are using it not to chase trends, but to heal our planet, strengthen our communities, and even save lives,” said Sapna Chadha, Vice President for Google Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier in a LinkedIn post congratulating all the finalists. 

Antonio García Zaballos, Director of Digital Sector Office at ADB, said the competition displayed "the power of student-led innovation to address real-world challenges in healthcare, sustainability, trade, and tourism through technology and AI." 

"The energy and creativity of the students were truly inspiring – we are seeing the future of sustainable digital transformation in the Asia Pacific region,” Zaballos said.  

Other award recipients at the forum included GeoGemma (who won Best AI Use Case) and (N + 1)-th Time’s the Charm from Pakistan, Atempo from Konkuk University, South Korea, who won the Most Societal Impact Award for their AI-powered emergency room matching platform, as well as other teams from South Korea, Singapore, Indonesia, and Japan.