Cambodia Secures Best Engineering Award at ABU Robocon 2025 in Mongolia

PHNOM PENH, August 25, 2025 – A team of talented young innovators from the Institute of Technology of Cambodia (ITC) has earned international recognition by winning the Best Engineering Award at the ABU Asia-Pacific Robot Contest (ABU Robocon 2025), held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A Showcase of Robotics Excellence

The ABU Robocon has been organized annually since 2002 by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) and is considered one of Asia’s premier platforms for student robotics competitions.

This year’s contest, held on August 24, 2025, brought together 14 university teams from 13 countries, including Cambodia, Japan, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Egypt, and Fiji. As the host, Mongolia fielded two teams.

The 2025 Theme: Robotic Basketball Challenge

The contest’s theme revolved around a robotic basketball game, where each team designed two robots to pass, defend, and shoot hoops on a regulation court. Matches lasted 160 seconds, divided into alternating 20-second possessions, testing teams on both autonomous programming and engineering precision.

Cambodia’s Journey to the Award

Cambodia has been hosting its own National Robocon since 2014 to select the country’s representatives for the regional competition. Earlier this year, eight teams from five universities competed in Phnom Penh, with ITC’s second team (ITC 02) emerging as the national winner.

At ABU Robocon 2025 in Mongolia:

• ITC 02 defeated Nepal 12–0 in their opening match.

• They narrowly beat Mongolia’s second team 12–9.

• Reaching the quarterfinals, Cambodia faced a tough Hong Kong team and lost 0–15, ending their championship run but securing a major award.

Best Engineering Award Recognition

Despite exiting in the quarterfinals, Cambodia’s ITC 02 won the Best Engineering Award, an honor recognizing exceptional design, craftsmanship, and technical problem-solving.

While Japan claimed the Grand Prix Award after a close 12–9 victory against Hong Kong in the semi-finals, and Hong Kong secured First Runner-Up, Cambodia’s recognition demonstrated their growing influence in the robotics field.

Cambodia’s Track Record in ABU Robocon

Since joining in 2017, Cambodia has consistently impressed at Robocon:

• 2017 – Best Idea & Special Award

• 2018 – Second Runner-Up & Special Award

• 2020 – Top five with another Special Award

• 2023 – Hosted ABU Robocon in Phnom Penh

The 2025 Best Engineering Award strengthens Cambodia’s reputation as a rising leader in robotics innovation in Asia.

Key Highlights of ABU Robocon 2025

• Event Location: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

• Date: August 24, 2025

• Participants: 14 teams from 13 countries

• Cambodia’s Team: ITC 02 (Institute of Technology of Cambodia)

• Award Won: Best Engineering Award

• Champion: Japan (Grand Prix)

• First Runner-Up: Hong Kong

FAQ – Cambodia at ABU Robocon 2025

Q1: What is ABU Robocon?
ABU Robocon is an annual robotics competition where university students from the Asia-Pacific region design and build robots to complete themed engineering challenges.

Q2: What was the 2025 Robocon theme?
The theme was a robotic basketball game, testing both technical and creative abilities.

Q3: How did Cambodia perform?
Cambodia’s ITC 02 team reached the quarterfinals, defeating Nepal and Mongolia, and won the Best Engineering Award.

Q4: Who won the championship?
Japan won the Grand Prix Award, while Hong Kong took the First Runner-Up Award.

Q5: Has Cambodia won at Robocon before?
Yes, Cambodia has won multiple awards since 2017, including Best Idea, Special Awards, and a Second Runner-Up position.