TikTok hosted the final round of its TikTok TechJam 2025 programme on 12 September in Singapore, wrapping up the annual hackathon designed to bring together university students to push boundaries, unleash creativity, and showcase their coding skills. This year, the programme attracted over 2,000 applications and 308 project submissions, with 12 teams comprising 49 students shortlisted for the final round to compete and address real-world challenges through creativity and innovation.

Under the theme Build With Joy, Code For Change, participants explored key technologies used at TikTok and engaged with the company's hiring teams. They also joined technical workshops to tackle problem statements such as improving the quality and relevancy of online location reviews, and enhancing automated app testing to detect errors, manage interruptions, boost efficiency, and more. The programme celebrated learning, collaboration, and curiosity, encouraging students to experiment freely, support one another, and grow as future builders of the digital world.

The cash prize of USD$10,000 went to blueberry jam, a five-member team made up of students from Nanyang Technological University and Singapore Management University, for their project PrivaStream, a production-ready, real-time privacy filter for TikTok livestreams that could also be used across other platforms. This solution was in response to the problem statement which tasked participants to explore solutions in the following areas: Enhancing the privacy of AI systems themselves (Privacy of AI); and/or using AI to defend user privacy and security (AI for Privacy).

Runners-up included SCC, awarded for Denoising Reviews with Mamba - an AI system that filters and classifies user reviews with high accuracy using semantic embeddings and contextual metadata - and AC Acai, awarded for Compliance Sentinel, an AI system that helps product teams spot potential compliance risks in new features by simulating threat scenarios, reviewing internal documents, and generating clear, auditable reports.

The winning teams were selected by a judging panel of TikTok engineers and industry experts, among them Rick Tan, Chief of Digital Transformation at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA); Dr. Woon Hau Chin, Director of Technology & Standards at the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA); and Chung Wei Tat, Programme Manager, AI Talent Development at AI Singapore (AISG).

blueberry jam

blueberry jam

"We're incredibly proud to have won first place, especially given the strength of the competition. Our success came from the way we collaborated and stayed resilient throughout the process. We combined technical expertise, creativity and teamwork, and drew on our diverse skills in frontend, backend, and machine learning. That allowed us to approach the challenge from multiple perspectives and leverage our collective strengths," said members of blueberry jam, the winning team, reflecting on their experience at TechJam 2025.

Beyond the competition, TikTok's TechJam serves as a platform to nurture the next generation of tech innovators in Singapore, offering mentorship, hands-on workshops, and opportunities for students to turn their ideas into practical solutions that drive positive change.

To access and download event photos, please proceed here.

Here is the full list of winners from the TikTok TechJam 2025 finals in Singapore:

TikTok TechJam 2025 Winners:


People's Choice Award: