The submission deadline is Sunday, October 20, 2024, at 11:59 PM ET / 8:59 PM PT.

The 2025 challenge is open to eligible students in grades 7–12 who are enrolled in U.S. public, private, or home schools, including those in U.S. territories and military schools abroad. You do not need to be a U.S. citizen to participate, as long as you are enrolled in a U.S. school.

Immediate family members of EXPLR or Goodwall employees are ineligible to participate.

For your submission, include:

Introduction: Briefly explain your topic, problem, or design challenge and its significance.

Materials and Methods/Design Process: List materials and describe either the experimental steps or the steps you took in the engineering design process, including brainstorming, prototyping, and testing.

Data Collection/Testing: Present your data or testing results in organized tables, charts, or diagrams, showing how your design or experiment performed.

Results/Final Design: Use graphs, images, or models to showcase your findings or the final design solution.

Discussion/Analysis: Interpret your results, discuss their meaning, or explain how your design evolved based on testing and analysis.

Conclusion: Summarize whether your hypothesis was supported or if your design effectively solved the problem or met the challenge.

Abstract, Hypothesis, and Bibliography/References are included in the application form and do not need to be included in your PDF.

If you presented at the 2024 National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C., you are eligible for this year’s Festival.

Please note that submissions must be new, original projects and cannot be the same ones presented at last year’s festival, even if you've conducted updated research or iterated on your 2024 submission.

No, only one entry per student is allowed, and team entries are not permitted.

• Aerospace Innovation

• Environmental Stewardship

• Future Food

• Health & Medicine

• Power the Planet

• Tech for Good

• Project's potential for positive impact (50 points)

• Innovation, creativity, and originality (25 points)

• Clarity of presentation (25 points)

• Bonus points for students from Title 1 eligible schools (5 points)

Plan Your Script: Outline what you want to say and keep your script focused and avoid unnecessary details.

Engage Immediately: Start with a strong opening to grab attention, such as a compelling question or a brief statement of your project’s significance. This will help you make an impact quickly in a short time frame.

Be Concise: Focus on the most important points. Every second counts, so keep it brief and to the point.

Practice: Rehearse your presentation multiple times to ensure a smooth delivery. Consider doing a trial run and getting feedback from others before finalizing your submission.

Up to 130 National Champions will win a trip to the National STEM Festival in Washington D.C., where they will showcase their projects. Special awards like the EXPLR Catalyst Award and others will also be given.

Finalists will be notified via email, and parents or guardians will need to complete additional documentation.

The Festival Challenge is presented by EXPLR PBC Inc., and administered by Goodwall.