Captain Planet FoundationGreen Heart STEM Challenge
Green Heart STEM Challenge empowers students (6th-8th grade) to identify environmental issues & implement solutions in their communities.
6th-8th grade educators and teams of 3-5 students in specific metropolitan areas · The Challenge extends over the months of January–April. Countdown to Kickoff is Monday, January 4, 2027. Registration closes Friday, December 18, 2026.
From captainplanetfoundation.org/programs/green-heart-challenge ↗About this program
The Green Heart STEM Challenge is a purpose-driven STEM challenge where young people explore and identify environmental issues in their communities and design feasible solutions to address these problems.
Student teams work through a human-centered design process to develop feasible solutions to the problems they have identified. Challenge submissions are delivered with a 90 second pitch video and a written proposal.
The Challenge extends over the months of January–April, and is open to teams of 3-5 students (6th-8th grade) in specific metropolitan areas. The 2027 Green Heart STEM Challenge is focused on FIRE (Renewable Energy, Alternative & Electric Transportation, Low-Carbon Cooking Fuel, Reduced Reliance on Fossil Fuels). This year, we have a special geographic focus within metro-Atlanta, metro-Houston, metro-Miami, and metro-San Francisco.
Finalist Teams are invited to the Green Heart STEM Challenge Finale, a high-energy, celebratory pitch event. Top teams pitch their solution ideas to a panel of expert judges (think Shark Tank), connect with peers across the metro-area, and learn about different community solutions.
Winning teams are then invited to participate in the Idea Incubator powered by Accenture. This workshop gives teams the tools and professional adult consulting needed to qualify for the Implementation Grant— Up to $1,000 in grant funding to put students' ideas into ACTION within 3-6 months.
The Green Heart STEM Challenge was inspired by the book “Living with a Green Heart” by Gay Browne; and was piloted in 2022 in Clayton County Public Schools in Georgia with funding from Accenture and private philanthropist, Susan J. Klein.
Questions
Who is the Green Heart STEM Challenge open to?
The Challenge ... is open to teams of 3-5 students (6th-8th grade) in specific metropolitan areas.
What do challenge submissions include?
Challenge submissions are delivered with a 90 second pitch video and a written proposal.
What does the Implementation Grant offer?
Up to $1,000 in grant funding to put students' ideas into ACTION within 3-6 months.
When does registration close?
Registration closes Friday, December 18, 2026
Details
- Who
- 6th-8th grade educators and teams of 3-5 students in specific metropolitan areas
- When
- The Challenge extends over the months of January–April. Countdown to Kickoff is Monday, January 4, 2027. Registration closes Friday, December 18, 2026.
- Where
- Specific metropolitan areas: metro-Atlanta, metro-Houston, metro-Miami, and metro-San Francisco
- Ages
- 6th-8th grade
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