Navigating the 2026 Green Heart STEM Challenge Platform
Challenge Resources
Rules/ Details:
- Teams must be registered through a teacher or adult advisor
- A team should be made up of 2-5 young people who are in an age group defined below
- Work on the plan should be led by students/ youth, not the advisor
- Each team should plan to complete their own Green Heart Action Plan and pitch video for review in Round 1 at your school.
- A maximum of ONE submission per class or club should be selected for Round 2 by March 9, 2026.
- Round 1 finalists should be uploaded to the judging platform by March 16, 2026 for Round 2 of judging.
Timeline:
- August 13, 2025: Registration Opens
- January 19, 2026: The Challenge Begins
- February 2, 2026: Checkpoint 1 (Intent to Participate) Due
- March 2, 2026: Checkpoint 2 (Problem Statement DRAFT) Due
- March 16, 2026: Final Submissions Due
- April 2026 (Date TBA): Finalists Selected
- April 2026 (Date TBA): In-person Final Events for Metro-Atlanta, Miami, and Houston Teams
- May 2026 (Date TBA): Finalists Invited to the Idea Incubator
Graphic Organizers & Reproducibles:
- See Think Wonder organizer
- Getting to Know My Water organizer
- Root Cause of the Problem organizer
- Design Thinking Process organizer
- Solution Planner
Deliverables:
There are two deliverables or final products for this Challenge:
- Green Heart Action Plan that describes your problem and your proposed solution
- Pitch video presenting your solution to your audience.
Criteria for Review & Judging (Rubric):
- Problem Statement: Is the problem clearly defined and presented as a compelling problem to be addressed?
- Solution: Is the proposed solution clearly addressing the problem, and is the plan for HOW the team would go about implementing the solution clear and feasible?
- Creativity: Have you expressed the problem, solution, and your request for help in an innovative and creative way through your video submission?
- Impact: What impact do you hope your project will have in your community?
- Research: Does your proposal include evidence to support your case? Were credible sources used to support the problem statement and development of the solution?
- Equity: How is your team making sure this solution going to provide equitable benefit to everyone in the community?
- Next Steps: Have you clearly outlined steps for taking your solution to the next stage and make a clear ask for support from your audience?
