Kids Worldwide Compete to Create a Futuristic City that Combats Climate Change at the 31st Annual Future City Finals

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Feb 09, 2023, 14:02 ET

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Feb. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- How can we make the world a better place? It's said children are the future and it's the children that just may have the answer to that age-old question at the finals of the 31^st annual Future City Competition, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Engineer's Week, February 18 to 21, 2023.

Two STEM students work on their Future City display. More than 800 middle-schoolers – from 37 regions nationally, plus three groups from China – their mentors, and family members, all with a passion for science and a desire to change the world, will descend on our nation’s capital to compete at the 31st Annual Future City Finals.

More than 800 middle-schoolers – from 37 regions nationally, plus three groups from China – their mentors, and family members, all with a passion for science and a desire to change the world, will descend on our nation's capital to compete as the 2023 Future City Regional Winners following a five-month-long competition addressing the topic of climate change. The schedule of events for the finals competition is as follows:

Saturday, February 18 – Welcome Dinner from 6 - 8 pm
Sunday, February 19 – Model unpacking from 9 am - 1 pm

Special Award Judging from 1:30 -5 pm
Public Viewing/City Showcase from 5:15 - 7 pm

Monday, February 20, 2023 – Judging from 8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 – Finals Award Celebration from 2 - 4 pm

All the students' hard work leading up to the finals started in the fall of 2022. More than 55,000 STEM students in grades 6 - 8, teamed up with teachers, mentors, and volunteers, to imagine, brainstorm, research, strategize and test their ideas on ways to combat climate change in a futuristic city. During their work, the students gain experience in engineering and the engineering design process, strengthen their project management and teamworking skills, use their math and science abilities to solve real-world problems, and learn the importance of effective writing, public speaking, and becoming environmentally conscious citizens.

The STEM students must also adhere to a budget. Not only are they required to use repurposed materials to build their model cities, but cannot spend more than $100, which helps promote project creativity. There is a $25 registration fee per organization to sign up for the competition.

The Future City competition recognizes the importance of inclusion and emphasizes participation from all students, male and female, all races and ethnicities, and all economic levels. Participants come from middle schools, both public and private, can be home-schooled, and can also be members of a nationally, regionally, or state-recognized youth-focused organization, such as the Boy and Girl Scouts, Boys and Girls Clubs, or 4-H Clubs. Last year, 48 percent of the students were female, 39 percent of the students were minority, and 43 percent were low-income students from Title I schools, meaning schools that are federally funded based on the number of students at that school who qualify for free or reduced-cost lunch.

Projects are judged on a four-part plan the teams develop and use to stay organized and focused; a 1500-word essay, describing the unique attributes of their city and the students' solution; a city model, where teams build a scale model of their city using recycled materials including one moving part; a seven-minute city plan oral presentation; and answers to a series of questions from judges comprised of corporate and nonprofit STEM professionals and volunteers.

Finals winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on February 21. The top award includes $7,500 for the winning organization's STEM program and a trip to U.S. Space Camp in Huntsville, AL. The second-place award is $5,000; the third-place winner receives $2,000; and fourth and fifth-place teams each receive $750 for their programs. All of the regional winning teams – three student presenters, an educator, and a mentor – are provided transportation, hotel accommodations, and some meals at the finals in D.C.

Warwick Middle School, Lititz, Pennsylvania, won the 2022 grand prize for the group's engineering design for a waste-free futuristic city.

Major funding for Discovery's Future City Competition comes from the Bechtel Corporation, Bentley Systems Inc., Shell Energy, PMIEF, and the Overdeck Family Foundation. Additional program support is provided by Linde Engineering, Pentair Foundation, and the United Engineering Foundation.

The Future City competition is a program of Discover Engineering, based in Alexandria, VA. DiscoverE is a nonprofit organization comprised of professionals from a coalition of nationwide engineering, science, and technological corporations and professional societies. Some of DiscoverE's other endeavors include Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day^™ (February 23, 2023), World Engineering Day (March 4, 2023), the Persist Series, Chats with Changemakers, and outreach for the Dream Big film.

For more information, visit:

FutureCity.org or Future City Press Kit