(From left) Sarawak Education Department student development sector assistant director Leong Chin Chin, Shell social performance vice president Angela Shaw, Shell Malaysia country chair and Upstream Malaysia senior vice president Siti Sulaiman, Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation digital adoption vice president Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad, with national champions, Team Hopecore from SMK Lutong during the Shell NXplorers Malaysia 2025 grand finale.
Hopecore from SMK Lutong triumphs as Shell NXplorers Malaysia 2025 champion
THE days of textbook memorisation are long behind us now, as the true, future-ready skills of the 21st century — critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving — were on full display at the Shell NXplorers Malaysia 2025 National Challenge.
This isn’t just your average science fair, as the programme fosters an intensive proving ground where young innovators test their abilities to solve humanity’s most complex problems and address the critical food, water and energy challenges of tomorrow.
Mentored by Shell professionals, participating secondary school students transcended traditional learning, applying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) principles to create innovative, future-ready solutions.
A total of six schools, with two finalists each from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, participated in the national finals after emerging as state winners and runners up at the state-level competitions.
Team Hopecore in action during the state finals earlier this year.
The finalist schools were SMK Lutong, SMK Bandar Bintulu, SMK Taman Seri Rampai, SMK Bandar Puncak Jalil, SM All Saints and SM Sung Siew.
SMK Lutong’s Team Hopecore, comprising Lukesh Murugayah, Leann Yii Zhen and Lee Sun, emerged as national champions this year in an event graced by Deputy Economy Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib.
Their winning invention, Signify, aims to bridge the communication gap between deaf students and the hearing community in schools.
A special prize was also awarded to Clarissa Ruth Manji of Team Luminaries from SM All Saints, as she bagged the Best Presenter award for her eloquence and exceptional communication during her team’s detailed presentation.
Fostering inclusive communication
National champions Team Hopecore impressed judges with the timeliness of their invention, as it addresses the notable lack of sign language interpreters currently in the country, with a mere 60 active interpreters serving over 44,000 deaf people in Malaysia.
Signify, which is a web-based application, translates Malaysian Sign Language (Bahasa Isyarat Malaysia, or BIM) to text and speech, and vice versa.
Built with Shell’s NXthinking tools, it is accessible across devices and offers an affordable, scalable and inclusive solution for the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities nationwide.
The team opined that the practicality of the invention to aid vulnerable communities was what made them stand out from the crowd, leading to their victory.
“Our invention was aimed at solving communication difficulties and assisting hearing-impaired students in school, which increases social inclusiveness for the deaf,” said Lukesh.
Leann added: “I think the main factor was the practicality in aiding local communities, especially when such devices are very hard to come by nowadays.”
While the final product turned out to be a winning solution, the team shared that it wasn’t always plain sailing, as they encountered numerous challenges along the way, like training the app’s artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm.
Team Hopecore’s invention, Signify, translates Malaysian Sign Language to text and speech, and vice versa.
“There were times when the competition pushed me to my limits and stole my precious sleeping hours. But I’ve learned that you don’t have to do it alone, and that it’s okay to ask for help,” said Lee.
Despite the difficulties, they said they’ve come out the other end as more resilient individuals, while simultaneously growing together as a group. The victory has only strengthened their commitment to the cause.
“We hope this project can truly help the deaf communities. We empathise with the issues they face daily and wish to provide them with the same privileges and rights that every human deserves,” they said.
“Being crowned the grand champion of Shell NXplorers Malaysia 2025 is an incredible honour that fills us with pride and gratitude. Through the programme, we’ve gained powerful insights and the confidence to tackle real-world challenges with creativity and purpose.
“It’s inspired us to think boldly and design solutions that we hope will spark meaningful change in our communities.”
Hopecore also left powerful words of encouragement for aspiring changemakers, reminding them that success and true innovation never come easy.
“STEM is all about sharing ideas to create a positive change. Every idea, every action matters. So, keep chasing those dreams, because the world needs them,” said Lee.
Lukesh reciprocated this sentiment: “The sky is your only limit. Never give up and always trust the process. Accomplishments do not come with the snap of a finger — it takes time, passion and hard work.
“As the saying goes, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’.”
Leann added that it’s also essential to continuously strive for excellence by consistently seeking to improve oneself, even after achieving success.
Shell NXplorers Malaysia 2025
Shell Malaysia country chair and Upstream Malaysia senior vice president Siti Sulaiman said that she was delighted to see how far the students have come since the start of the competition, noting the ingenuity of their inventions.
“It is truly inspiring to witness our students rise to the challenge presented by the Shell NXplorers programme as they tackle complex problems with resilience, ingenuity and a strong sense of purpose,” she said.
“Their ability to think critically, innovate boldly, and push boundaries reflects the kind of leadership our world needs. These young changemakers are not just imagining a better future, they’re actively shaping it.”
Among the judges for the national finals were Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation digital adoption vice president Wan Murdani Wan Mohamad, Sarawak Education Department student development sector assistant director Leong Chin Chin and Shell social performance vice president Angela Shaw. Also present was Shell Malaysia corporate relations general manager Cindy Lopez.
With continued support from the Education Ministry, Shell NXplorers Malaysia engaged over 1,000 secondary school
students across 29 schools nationwide.
The competition and programme exposed students to dynamic, hands-on STEM learning experiences with a strong emphasis on technology and innovation.
By equipping students with practical tools, collaborative methodologies and interdisciplinary skills, the programme inspires students to become change agents who are capable of developing impactful, real-world solutions through creativity, critical thinking and collaboration.
Click here to learn more about Shell NXplorers Malaysia.
