STEM Challenge

The Challenge was launched in September of 2010 at the White House by President Obama and the first year winners were announced by Aneesh Chopra, former Chief Technology Officer for the United States at The Atlantics Technology in Education Forum in Washington, DC in March of 2011. The Inaugural Challenge featured three competition categories: a Mi... ddle School Prize, Collegiate Prize, and Developer Prize and drew more than 600 entries from students, teachers, collegiate developers, and professional digital game makers. Several of the games produced by applicants in the collegiate and developer categories were commercially published and the Challenge received strong media attention from major outlets such as CNN, Forbes, Education Week, and Gamasutra as well as local and national press for the student winners. Over one third of the student winners came from Title I schools. The second year of the Challenge was launched in partnership with Digital Promise , a new initiative created by the President and Congress, supported through the Department of Education. The initiative is designed to unlock the promise of breakthrough technologies to transform teaching and learning. The 2012 Challenge featured opportunities for Middle and High School students in both individual and team categories, as well as College Students and Professional Educators. Over the course of the competition, over 3,700 original games were submitted. In May of 2012, 28 talented young designers from around the country were honored at a ceremony held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Five outstanding games developed by College Students and Pre K-12 educators were also honored. For 2013, the Challenge, focused its efforts on the youth categories and expanding the mentorship opportunities available to youth interested in participating in the Challenge. Through partnerships with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the HIVE NYC Learning Network, we launched a series of teacher and youth workshops, mentorship ...Read More