Hong Kong SAR, China, Aug. 27, 2020 – Student entrepreneurs of Pasiadot from Guam won the FedEx Global Possibilities Award at the 2020 Junior Achievement (JA) Asia Pacific Company of the Year Competition. Sponsored by FedEx Express (FedEx), the world’s largest express transportation company, the FedEx Global Possibilities Award celebrates the next generation of innovators and this program plays an important role in developing the entrepreneurial spirit of young people.
Each year, the award goes to the team whose business idea is driven by innovation, provides connectivity to new markets and drives community development, along with sustainability and social responsibility. Pasiadot Team impressed the judges with their outstanding idea for a culturally represented set of reusable utensils made from bamboo that are designed to be used during travel. Each set comes with four utensils and a straw to meet basic culinary needs.
Alongside the FedEx Global Possibilities Award, the winners of 2020 Junior Achievement (JA) Asia Pacific Company of the Year Competition were announced. Team Revival from Singapore took the first place for their multi-functional bag made from repurposed banners, making each one unique and water resistant. Team Emi Student Company from Indonesia came in second with their versatile jacket that features a multitude of storage pockets and transforms into a bag while third place went to Team BruFiniti from Brunei , who produced a matching card game called “BAH” that teaches the community and tourists about local culture.
Originally scheduled for March 2020 in Guam, this year’s competition was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The format of this annual program was transformed and held completely online for the first time in order to continue FedEx commitment to inspire students and provide them with learning opportunities.
“The competition and the FedEx Global Possibilities Award continues to be a great platform to inspire and nurture our next generation of entrepreneurs. It’s truly rewarding to see how this program offers firsthand experience of world trade and the fundamentals of entrepreneurship to young talented minds across Asia Pacific,” said Kawal Preet, president, FedEx Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region. “In these disruptive times, it is critically important that we adopt different ways to support and educate our future business leaders through this virtual competition.”
Launched in 2011, the 2020 Junior Achievement (JA) Asia Pacific Company of the Year Competition aims to equip high school students with the capabilities to organize and operate an actual business by providing basic economic education and business skills. The competition this year invited 17 student companies representing 11 markets (Brunei, China, Guam, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Turkmenistan) competing for the awards.