America's Top Young Innovators to Showcase PhD-Level Research and Patent-Pending Inventions at the 2026 National STEM Festival®

The Public is Invited to Explore Student STEM Projects at Open Build Day on Saturday, June 27, in Washington, D.C.

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, June 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- EXPLR® is presenting the third annual National STEM Festival, June 24–27 in Washington, D.C., where students from 40 states and four U.S. territories will share their research, inventions, and ideas before senior leaders in government, business, and academia. The National STEM Festival highlights student-led solutions to real-world challenges in healthcare, biotech, energy, and AI — the fields where the next workforce is already taking shape.

Open Build Day free public expo
52 top-scoring students from the nationwide competition will showcase their working prototypes, patent-pending inventions, and advanced research at Open Build Day, a free public expo on Saturday, June 27, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Advance registration is required online.

Open Build Day is hands-on and built for all ages, plus giveaways, live demos, and design-and-make activities for kids and families:

• Explore an interactive 3D digital cadaver on the Anatomage Table
• Hold NASA's STELLA satellite-science instrument in your hand
• Step inside a mobile synthetic-biology lab
• Design, build, and test paper airplanes to see how far and accurately they can fly with COSI and Boeing

"What makes the National STEM Festival so powerful is that it brings young people into the center of real conversations about the future, while also giving the public a chance to see firsthand what the next generation of innovation looks like," said Jenny Buccos, Co-Director of the National STEM Festival and CEO of EXPLR. "These students are already prototyping, designing, and building in the fields that need them most. The Festival connects their ideas to the leaders and industries that can bring them to life."

Throughout the Festival, students present their projects and take part in mentoring, masterclasses, and networking, including a Creator Sprint with Roblox where teams rough-prototype interactive worlds tied to the Festival's "The Builders" theme.

Programming Highlights
The Festival is also a tri-sector convening, bringing together industry, government, and academic leaders around the next generation of talent. Programming highlights include:

• An Executive Roundtable on cybersecurity, led by OPSWAT
• A VIP & Media Showcase, an invitation-only event offering early access to student projects from 50+ innovators
• A live podcast recording bringing winning students together with cross-industry leaders to explore how student prototypes can be applied to advanced manufacturing — a sector that could see 2.1 million jobs go unfilled by 2030 (Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute).

The National STEM Festival is an official programming partner of America250, joining organizations advancing innovation and STEM education as the nation marks 250 years. The Festival is made possible by a coalition of organizations across industry, government, and academia investing in the next generation of talent. See the full list of supporters and partners on the festival website.

Note to Press: Media is invited to preview the student projects and conduct interviews on Thursday, June 25th, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., as well as during the public expo on Saturday, June 27th, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. All media interested in attending must be credentialed. Request media credentials here. For media inquiries, please contact Actum at [email protected].

About EXPLR
EXPLR builds the future-ready talent pipeline by connecting curiosity to career. Students aged 13-19 engage in real-world, career-connected learning through digital content, industry-validated credentials, and live events. The ecosystem includes the National STEM Festival, EXPLR Edge® digital credentials, and programs that enable employers to discover, connect with, and invest in emerging talent.
Visit EXPLR.com.

SOURCE EXPLR