APU Students’ AI-Powered Flood Response System Wins Big at the Great Malaysia AI Hackathon 2025
The team’s winning project is an AI-powered disaster response system designed to streamline flood rescue operations.
Published 07 Nov 2025
In a powerful display of creativity and teamwork, students from Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation (APU) took home the top prize at the Great Malaysia AI Hackathon 2025. The hackathon, launched on 20 September 2025 by YB Gobind Singh Deo, Malaysia’s Minister of Digital, was hosted at APU’s campus.
Held in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the Great Malaysia AI Hackathon brought together over 1,500 university students and nearly 200 industry professionals. The winning team, aptly named “Ctrl + Chill,” topped the competition with their innovative project “MySelamat”, an AI-powered disaster response system designed to make flood rescues faster and smarter.
Comprising Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence students, Cheng Kar Meng, Samantha Tee Ker Xin, Charlotte Chen Zi Shan, Ong Ying Xin and Richard Ong Tze Xin, the team stood out with their vision of using AI for a humanitarian cause. Their project combines real-time social media data with AI-powered navigation and rescue route planning during floods. MySelamat leverages the Google Maps API to guide rescuers and victims, easing coordination between communities, authorities and emergency responders.
“Every AI feature in MySelamat was designed not for complexity’s sake, but to strengthen human decision-making during floods,” explained team lead Cheng Kar Meng. “We wanted to prove that technology can serve empathy—turning data into life-saving decisions.”
For the young team, the journey was far from easy. “Reaching the top 20 finalists out of more than 300 teams was surreal. We spent countless nights refining our idea, perfecting our pitch, and learning from mentors,” Cheng recalled. “The final round was intense, but our teamwork and belief in our vision carried us through. Winning was more than a trophy; it was proof that passion and collaboration can create meaningful impact.”
Behind every successful student team is a guiding mentor. For Ctrl + Chill, that mentor was Ms Chong Mien May, a senior lecturer at APU’s School of Computing who was quick to spot their potential early on. “When I first sat down with Team Ctrl + Chill, I was immediately struck by their depth of understanding,” she said. “They weren’t just building an app—they were solving a human problem. Their idea of integrating social media data with AI-driven route planning was incredibly forward-thinking.”
This event marked another milestone in Malaysia’s growing reputation as a digital innovation hub, being recognised by ASEAN Records as the largest on-site AI hackathon jointly organised by academia and industry. According to Mr Amad Arshad, APU’s senior lecturer and organising committee lead, the event was designed to push boundaries. “This competition had all the makings of something extraordinary,” he said. “When we conceptualised it, we wanted to bring together students, industry professionals, and cutting-edge technologies under one roof. With AWS and MDEC on board, the event became a powerhouse of creativity and collaboration. The overwhelming response and record participation reaffirm that Malaysia’s youth are ready to lead in the AI revolution.”
APU’s Assoc. Prof. Dr Tan Chin Ike, Head of the School of Computing, who spearheaded the initiative, echoed the same sentiment. “I’m proud of my colleagues and the Organising Committee for their tireless efforts in making this hackathon a success. It reflects APU’s vision to not only produce graduates with technical expertise, but also to instil innovation, teamwork and leadership.”
The success of Team Ctrl + Chill and the scale of the Great Malaysia AI Hackathon 2025 both highlight how far Malaysia has come in cultivating young tech talent and promoting meaningful collaboration between academia and industry. By combining empathy with AI innovation, APU’s event didn’t just reward creativity. It showed that when guided by compassion, technology can truly change lives.
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Amelia Ho
Always wandering, always wondering.
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