There’s still time to nominate your class for the 11th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest! Thanks to an extended deadline, public school teachers in the United States have until 21 December to nominate their classes. The competition, which is for kids in grades 6-12, challenges them to use science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to solve problems in their local communities.

The winners of last year’s contest invented ways to stop wildfires and flash flooding in their hometowns. Other examples from the 2019 contest include three middlers from North Carolina who invented a wearable device that automatically texts 911 when it detects low oxygen levels; a West Virginia class that developed an app that helps rescue workers locate disabled students trapped in schools during emergencies; and middle school students from Ohio who invented a system that warns drivers when animals run onto roads

The contest isn’t just about solving problems — it’s about getting kids interested in STEM, and having lots of fun in the process. 

“The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest was especially valuable because it allowed me to not only experience firsthand the impact STEM can have on my local community, but also allowed me to see the value of collaboration among my classmates working together toward a solution that can change the world, even at our age,” Neha Vinjapuri, a 2019-2020 Solve for Tomorrow National Winner, stated in a press release. “Because of my experience in Solve for Tomorrow, I am looking to pursue a STEM career to better the world around me.”

The competition, which is open to schools from all 50 U.S. states and Washington D.C., is open to virtual, in-person, and hybrid classrooms, and will award $2 million in technology and supplies to winning schools. Since the contest launched in 2010, it has awarded $18 million worth of technology and supplies to more than 2,500 U.S. public schools. Learn more about how to apply.