Disney and XPRIZE are partnering for a nationwide challenge to reward six creative kids with cash, hardware, and mentoring.
How would you like a 3D printer, a check for $3,000, and mentoring under a leader in your chosen field of interest? Well, if you’re an American citizen between the ages of 8 and 17, all that can be yours if your imagination is up to par.
Hosted by XPRIZE and Disney, the challenge – inspired by the upcoming movie Tomorrowland – asks kids to share their vision of the future. The challenge is to present either a video, imagery, or stories about an imagined sci-fi innovation or piece of technology and explain how it works and what impact it’ll have on our future.
Registration opens April 22, and six winners will be picked in June. Participants will be divided into two categories: 8-12 years old and 13-17, and a panel of judges will score submissions based on innovation, creativity, and presentation. Full contest details can be found here.
The cash prize is probably more than a kid can appreciate, but hopefully the winners’ parents will put that money toward a college fund or other endeavor that supports growing them into a future innovator. The 3D printer, on the other hand, is a delightful toy that I wish I would have had as a child – or even presently, as an adult. As for the mentoring, there are no details on who the mentors will be as of yet, and the fine print says that there will be no in-person contact between winners and mentors – the mentoring program will be conducted via the internet, over the course of three weeks, in three one-hour sessions. Still, it’s an opportunity for young minds to be inspired to pursue fields in which they can push the boundaries of technological progress. If you know any young, creative minds, let them know about this challenge.
