ExploraVision Awards

Scholarship Sponsored by Toshiba

Overview

ExploraVision is a K–12 science competition that engages students in collaborative, real-world problem solving with a focus on STEM. Teams of students, guided by a teacher-coach, research current technologies and imagine how those technologies might evolve 10 or more years into the future. The program simulates research and development: teams describe potential designs, development steps, benefits, limitations, and obstacles. Past winning projects have ranged from handheld allergen detectors to advanced prosthetic-control systems.

Description: ExploraVision challenges student teams to envision future technologies through research, brainstorming, and simulated R&D under the guidance of a sponsoring teacher.

• Team-based, project-focused K–12 competition emphasizing future-facing STEM ideas.
• Teacher-coached teams of 2–4 students research and describe technological development.
• Focus on practical steps, pros/cons, and obstacles for technologies 10+ years ahead.

Eligibility

Student eligibility requires citizenship and enrollment criteria, age limits, and team composition rules. Teams consist of 2–4 students and must be sponsored by a teacher or eligible coach; individual entries are not allowed. Certain NSTA employees, board members, judges, and their families are excluded from participation. Students may submit only one project per year, and previous regional or national winners may not resubmit the same project.

Eligibility: All student team members must be U.S. or Canadian citizens living in the United States, Canada, U.S. Territories, or attending a DoWEA school abroad, enrolled full-time in an eligible school setting, and no older than 21 years of age.

• Teams of 2–4 students; one submission per student per year.
• Teachers/coaches may participate in multiple teams.
• Previous regional or national winners cannot resubmit the same project; prior finalists may compete again only on a new team.
• Employees of NSTA, NSTA board members, judges, and their families are ineligible.

Coach Requirements

Each team must be led by a coach who meets age and relationship requirements and who is not serving as a judge in the same competition year. Acceptable coaches include teachers, coaches, counselors, leaders in youth organizations, or parents/guardians, and a coach must know at least one student on the team. Coaches must be at least 21 years old and are responsible for guiding the team through the research and development simulation.

Coach Requirements: A coach must be 21 or older, have a direct relationship with at least one team member, and must not act as a competition judge during that year.

• Coach must be at least 21 years old.
• Acceptable roles: teacher, coach, counselor, youth leader, or parent/guardian.
• Coach must know at least one team member and cannot serve as a judge in the same year.

Project Rules and AI Use

Projects must be original to ExploraVision and not previously awarded at ExploraVision’s regional or national levels or in other competitions. Entrants may not resubmit projects that have already won prizes elsewhere. The competition allows use of AI tools for brainstorming and research, but such tools cannot replace core research and must be properly cited. Submissions must comply with the competition's AI policy and any referenced acceptable-use guidance.

Project Rules: Projects cannot be resubmitted if they previously won at ExploraVision or were awarded prizes in other competitions; each submission must be original and unique to the team.

AI Use: AI tools, including ChatGPT, may be used for brainstorming and research but must not be the sole resource; any AI-generated information must be documented in the bibliography with proper citations and must follow the competition's AI policy and acceptable-use guidance.

• Do not resubmit projects that previously won at regional or national levels or received awards elsewhere.
• AI may assist with brainstorming and research but must be cited and not constitute the entire research basis.
• All submissions must adhere to the competition’s AI policy and acceptable-use guidance documentation.