Future City STEM Competition 2024-25 now open for high school and middle school teams

The Future City Competition, an international STEM programme that reaches over 66,000 students globally, has opened registration for its 2024-25 season.

For the first time, high school teams are invited to participate alongside middle school students, building on last year’s successful pilot programme. This year’s challenge, titled "Above the Current," tasks students with designing and building a floating city that addresses the effects of rising sea levels and climate change.

With the pressing global need for sustainable solutions, this year’s competition offers students a unique chance to apply their learning to real-world problems. The competition aims to engage students in thinking creatively and critically about how engineering can address climate change, while also fostering teamwork, communication, and technical skills.

Kathy Renzetti, CEO and Executive Director of DiscoverE, which organises the competition, stated:

"We're thrilled to expand the Future City Competition to include high school teams. This opportunity allows both middle and high school students to engage in hands-on learning and experience what it's like to think and innovate like real engineers.”

Expansion to high school students

This year marks the official inclusion of high school students after a successful pilot programme in 2023. The competition, which has run for over three decades, has historically focused on middle school participants. Now, high school students are being offered the opportunity to compete and develop solutions for one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time.

While middle school teams continue to compete for the grand prize of $7,500 for their school's STEM programme, sponsored by Bentley Systems, high school participants will now have a chance to win valuable college scholarships.

The Future City Competition has already seen enthusiastic participation in the DC/MD/VA area. So far, 39 teams have registered from across the region, with Virginia leading the way with 21 teams. Cities such as Fairfax, Alexandria, and Leesburg are well represented. Maryland follows closely with 16 teams from places like Baltimore, Silver Spring, and Rockville, while Washington, DC has two teams ready to compete.

The competition provides more than just an opportunity to win prizes; it’s a chance for students to experience what it’s like to work in real-world engineering teams. Students are tasked with designing and building a city set 100 years in the future, applying STEM concepts to tackle challenges such as rising sea levels.

Alongside student participation, the competition invites engineering and technical professionals to contribute as mentors, judges, and volunteers. Volunteers play a key role in guiding students through the competition, offering advice and industry insights that shape the next generation of innovators.

The Future City Competition is organised by DiscoverE, a nonprofit that promotes global STEM programmes to empower the next generation of engineers. With a focus on reaching underrepresented students, DiscoverE runs initiatives like Engineers Week and Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, in addition to the Future City Competition.