💰 Program Sites Can Win Up to $5,000 in this National AI Challenge from the Panasonic Foundation + STEM Next
Do the young people in your afterschool program have ideas for using artificial intelligence to solve problems in their community or around the world?
The AI Innovation Challenge, created by STEM Next Opportunity Fund in partnership with the Panasonic Foundation, gives high school youth the opportunity to explore those ideas while competing for prize funding for their afterschool program.
Youth identify a local or global issue they care about and use AI as a research and development partner to research the issue, explore possible solutions, and strengthen their thinking. Throughout the challenge, youth lead the work while educators provide guidance and support.
What’s the Prize?
Two first-place winning projects: $5,000 each for their program site
Three second-place winning projects: $3,000 each
Five third-place winning projects: $1,000 each
Programs with winning projects will also be featured in STEM Next communications and may be invited to participate in future opportunities.
Who Can Participate?
Eligible afterschool and other structured out-of-school-time programs serving youth in grades 9-12 across the United States are encouraged to participate.
No prior AI experience or coding skills are required for youth or educators. After signing up, educators receive a free AI Innovation Challenge Toolkit with facilitation guidance, AI safety resources, templates, and everything needed to confidently support youth throughout the challenge.
Final project submissions are due November 19, 2026.
Learn more, review eligibility, and sign up: https://stemnext.org/ai-innovation-challenge
The new Q4 Asset Package is filled with professional development opportunities and engaging youth activities coming up in October through December. We hope these resources help afterschool programs spark curiosity and build pathways into STEM careers through the end of 2026.
What’s the Asset Package? If you’re new to our distribution list, the STEM Next Asset Package is a compilation of opportunities, resources, and activities designed to help out-of-school educators develop their skills and help youth engage in high-quality STEM learning. We also include ready-to-use social media posts so you can easily share these opportunities with your networks.
Dive into the October-December Quarterly Asset Package and explore what’s available so far this quarter!
NOW OPEN: 2027 Flight Crew Applications
The application for the 2027 STEM Next Flight Crew is now OPEN! STEM Next has launched a nationwide search for the next Flight Crew — national youth ambassadors who represent their states as they develop leadership and communication skills, share their stories on regional, state and national stages, and lend their voices to push for more afterschool and summer STEM opportunities. The deadline to apply is 11:59PM EST on October 29, 2026.
AI Innovation Challenge: Win up to $5,000
STEM Next Opportunity Fund, in partnership with Panasonic, has launched the AI Innovation Challenge, a national competition that challenges high school youth in out-of-school time programs to develop innovative solutions to real-world challenges using AI. Winning entries will demonstrate how afterschool programs help young people build AI literacy, strengthen durable skills, and prepare for future STEM and AI-enabled careers.
Launching Futures: A New Toolkit from STEM Next
The Launching Futures Toolkit, created by STEM Next and powered by RTX, equips educators with practical resources to connect young people to the fast-growing world of space and aerospace careers. Built around the four strategies in STEM Next’s Career-Connected Learning Framework, the toolkit is designed to make it easy for afterschool and informal educators to bring aeronautical and aerospace careers to life.
Eyes on Health: A New Toolkit from STEM Next
The Eyes on Health Toolkit, created by STEM Next, gives educators ready-to-use resources that open young people’s eyes to the wide range of careers in health and life sciences. Grounded in the four strategies of STEM Next’s Career-Connected Learning Framework, the toolkit helps afterschool and informal educators turn curiosity about the human body, medicine, and science into real career exploration.
World Space Week: Bringing Aerospace Careers to Life Through STEM
Join STEM Next on October 6 at 2pm ET to celebrate World Space Week by helping young people discover where an interest in aerospace STEM could take them. In this interactive training, afterschool and summer educators will explore how hands-on aerospace activities can introduce youth to real-world careers and help them understand the STEM knowledge and skills professionals use every day.
Training: Connecting STEM Activities to Careers
Join us on October 20 at 2pm ET to kick off the school year with 10 engaging, hands-on STEM and engineering activities designed for youth in grades K–8 using common, low-cost materials that work well in out-of-school time settings. In this interactive webinar, participants will explore how familiar STEM activities can become powerful career-connected learning experiences when intentionally designed to build the durable skills and STEM competencies young people need for future success.