America 250 Inventions & Innovations Competition

In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama is launching a regional academic challenge for middle school students inviting them to identify and defend what they believe is the greatest American STEM innovation of the past 250 years.

Open to students in grades 5–6 across the Center’s 12-county service area (Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Jefferson, Marshall, Randolph, Talladega, and St. Clair), this competition promotes critical thinking, historical reflection, and STEM literacy. Students will research American contributions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics over the past 250 years, select the innovation they consider most significant, and support their choice with three well-reasoned justifications.

Entries may be hand-written or typed on the entry form provided. A winner will be selected from each of the four STEM categories:  Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. 

This competition invites students to:

•   Review American inventions and innovations over the past 250 years
•  Analyze the value and impact of those contributions on people in this nation and the world
•  Select the single invention or innovation they believe represents the greatest American STEM accomplishment of all time
•  Justify their selection with three original reasons written in their own words

Directions to Teachers/Parents:

• Open to individual students in 5th to 6th grade in the 12-county service area
• No group/team submissions – each entry must be the work of one student
• Only one submission per student
• Schools may have an unlimited number of individual entries
• All work must be independent; student may discuss idea with teachers or parents but must write or create their entry on their own
• Sole use of AI to write or generate entry content is not permitted and will result in disqualification
• Plagiarism will result in disqualification; all submissions will be checked
• Entries must be submitted electronically by May 21, 2026 – late submission will not be considered

Directions to Students:

Student Form
Review American inventions/innovations over the past 250 years
Analyze the value or impact of those contributions on people in our nation and the world
Select the single invention/innovation they believe represents the greatest of all American STEM accomplishments
Justify your selection with three original reasons written in your own words
All entries must include works cited and at a minimum list:
Title of the article, book, or webpage
Author or organization (if available)
Website URL
Date accessed or publication date (if available)

Students must use the entry form provided and complete all information:

 Directions and Form
Entries may be submitted as a scanned PDF or Word document titled: LastName_FirstName_Grade_School
Submit entry to: STEM250@challengeral.org
If the school’s student email cannot send to outside domains, the classroom teacher or parent should submit the entry on the student’s behalf. If you have a question about submission, STEM250@challengeral.org

Review Process:

All submissions will go through a structured multi-level review conducted by a panel of judges comprised of community leaders, educators, committee members, and retired educators.

Submissions will be divided into clusters by grade level of no more than 50 entries, with each cluster reviewed by a 2-judge team (1st round judging)
Each team will identify the top submissions from their cluster in Science (2), Technology (2), Engineering (2), and Mathematics (2)
2nd round of judging: All judges will then review the best submissions from each cluster and select the Top 12 finalists in each grade – Science (3), Technology (3) , Engineering (3), and Mathematics 3)
Final judging will select one winner per STEM category from the Top 12 finalists in each grade
The decision of the judges is final.

Awards and Recognition:

Winners in each STEM category and grade will receive $50 and will be recognized at the Challenger Learning Center tent at the Rainbow City Drone Show at Rainbow City Mega Sports Complex on June 27, 2026 where they will receive their prize in person.

All finalists and category winners will be recognized on social media and featured in a press release distributed throughout the 12-county service area.