Submissions for the 2025 challenge open on August 21, with top-scoring participants to be recognized at the Festival in Washington, D.C., in March 2025
EXPLR is founded by Jenny Buccos and co-founded by Kari Byron (former Discovery Channel Mythbuster) and Andrew Zimmern (Bizarre Foods)
NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2024 -- EXPLR is excited to announce the 2025 National STEM Festival, the second-annual nationwide initiative to foster creativity, critical thinking, and a passion for STEM among middle and high school students. The Festival invites students in grades 7-12 from across the U.S. and its territories to submit STEM innovations, inventions, and research addressing real-world problems.
Submissions for the 2025 Festival will be open from Wednesday, Aug. 21 through Sunday, Oct. 20 on the National STEM Festival website. Entries will be accepted in six categories: Environmental Stewardship, Future Food, Health & Medicine, Powering the Planet, Aerospace Innovation, and Tech for Good. Students are encouraged to use the scientific method or engineering design process to develop projects that strive to make a tangible real-world impact and create positive change for people and the planet.
Students with high-scoring projects will be selected as finalists and will move forward to the second round of the challenge. Up to 150 students will be named National STEM Champions, earning an expense-paid trip for themselves and a chaperone to the National STEM Festival, held at The Square in Washington, D.C., in March 2025. At the National STEM Festival, the student Champions will present their projects to some of our nation's leading figures, including corporate executives, government officials and the media. They will also participate in mentor sessions and benefit from networking opportunities with STEM professionals and their peers.
The 2025 Festival also includes prestigious awards, including the AISES Indigenous Ingenuity Award, which honors Indigenous students from North American tribes or the Pacific Islands, and the Congressional Innovation Award, recognizing outstanding mobile and web applications that tackle real-world challenges. Additional students will be recognized with the Autodesk Design & Make Award and the PocketLab Insight & Inspiration Award and more.
EXPLR is collaborating with schools, educational institutions, student-serving organizations, STEM communicators, and businesses on local, state, and national levels to engage students nationwide to encourage participation and submissions, especially among students historically underrepresented in STEM. Starting in September 2024, free digital learning opportunities will be available online as a lead-up to the in-person Festival in Washington, D.C.
"We were incredibly impressed by the talent and creativity demonstrated by the students at the inaugural National STEM Festival," said EXPLR Founder & CEO Jenny Buccos. "We are honored to help inspire students to pursue passions in STEM, and to bring the festival back for a second year. I can't wait to see the great projects submitted in this year's challenge."
The inaugural 2024 challenge received more than 2,500 student sign-ups. Ultimately, 126 National STEM Champions were invited to Washington, D.C. to showcase their projects at the 2024 National STEM Festival.
For more information about the National STEM Festival, including submission guidelines, visit: www.nationalstemchallenge.com
FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS
The 2025 National STEM Festival is presented by EXPLR. Co-presenting sponsors include Autodesk and Broadcom Foundation. Additional support provided by: The Square, United Robotics Group, Accenture, BuildWithin, D.C. Department of Employment Services, EF Education First, George Washington University College of Professional Studies, Governors Cyber Academy, If/Then, JM Family Enterprises, Inc., Lockheed Martin, Methodist University, Nexus PMG, Privateer, Purecycle, Qualcomm, Santa Clara University School of Engineering, ScIC Science is Cool presented by PocketLab, Southwest, and the US Center for Advanced Manufacturing. For more information about these organizations and to support the Festival visit nationalstemfestival.com.
To learn more about becoming a sponsor for the 2025 National STEM Festival, please send an email to nationalstemfestival@explr-media.com.
ABOUT EXPLR
EXPLR's mission is to empower students with practical skills and experiences for success in both school and life. EXPLR is a streaming video and curriculum service for grade 5-12 students, teachers, and families that helps bridge critical gaps in K-12 education with a strong emphasis on skill-based learning and development. It was co-founded by leading education and entertainment figures Jenny Buccos, Kari Byron (former Discovery Channel Mythbuster), and Andrew Zimmern (TV personality, producer, and U.N. World Food Programme Goodwill Ambassador). Since launching in 2021, EXPLR has been used in over 500 schools across 23 US states.
Visit EXPLR.com
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