What Types of Projects are Eligible?
Projects must demonstrate how science, technology, engineering, and/or math (STEM) can be applied to address an issue or challenge within the team’s school or community.
The competition considers projects at all stages of development, from early-stage concepts to scaled projects. However, we expect most submissions to be at the concept, prototype, or pilot stage.
The competition is open to publicly funded schools in the 50 United States and Washington, D.C. serving students in grades 6–12, including Charter Schools that are 50% or more publicly funded.
Home School, Elementary School up to grade 5, privately funded Charter School (Iess than 50% publicly funded), Private School, College or University Educators are not eligible to participate.
Applications must be submitted by an educator who is at least 21 years old and employed full-time by the school on whose behalf they are applying. The educator must remain employed by the school throughout the competition, including through the final pitch event in April 2027, if selected.
Each educator may submit one application, although more than one educator from the same school may apply. Applications submitted directly by students are not eligible.
Applicants are responsible for confirming that their school permits participation in the competition and is able to accept prizes, if selected. All prizes are awarded to the school for the benefit of the educator’s class and school.
Projects that received prizes in previous years are eligible to receive prizes again. However, projects named a National Winner, Community Choice Winner, or Employee Choice Winner within the past five years are not eligible to receive those same awards again this year.
Employees of Samsung, its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, retailers, distributors, and suppliers, along with their immediate family members (including spouses, parents, children, siblings, and the spouses of siblings, regardless of location) and individuals residing in the same household as any of these individuals (related or not), are not eligible to enter or win a prize.
Applications must be written in English.