RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J. — Six Kentucky schools have been named state finalists for the 15th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition, including three from our region.

Samsung says the program “is a national competition designed to empower students in grades 6-12 to unleash the power of STEM to create innovative solutions addressing critical issues in their local communities.

Among the finalists are Belfry Middle School in Pike County, Adams Middle School in Prestonsburg, and the Floyd County School of Innovation in Martin. The schools will now compete to become the state winner by submitting activity plans that define a community problem and propose a STEM-based solution.

State winners will win a Samsung Video Kit to create a pitch video, along with $12,000 worth of Samsung products. From there, 10 state winners will be named national finalists who will compete for three national winners titles, with each winning a $100,000 prize package. The remainder of the top 10 will each receive $50,000 worth of Samsung technology and classroom supplies.