National STEM Challenge Website

U.S. students in grades 6-12 this challenge is for you!

Your mission? Craft a STEM project that tackles a real-world challenge. Choose from one of the 2024 themes listed and use the scientific method or engineering design process.

Create a PDF presentation about your project, keeping it to 3 pages maximum with a minimum of 12-point font. You may include text and images to explain your ideas, but no faces or names in your PDF. Your project should be tested (if using the scientific method) or constructed (physically or digitally if using the engineering design process). Theoretical projects will receive lower scores.

The best projects from all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories will become Challenge Finalists with the opportunity to advance to the next level by submitting a video in the second round. Up to 200 National Champions will win a trip to the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C., in April 2024. There, Champions will showcase their projects to some of our nation's most influential leaders. The Festival is co-presented by the U.S. Department of Education and EXPLR.