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Call for Entries: The 2015 DuPont Challenge Competition

  • 12/13/14

Wilmngton, Del., – Inspiring the next generation of innovators at the forefront of scientific discovery has been a goal of The DuPont Challenge Science Essay Competition for the past 29 years.

This year, The DuPont Challenge is pleased to announce a new division and expanded grade levels: the new Elementary Division is open to students in grades K-5, the Junior Division is now open to students in grades 6-8, and the Senior Division is now open to students in grades 9-12, from across the United States, Canada and U.S. Territories.

The DuPont Challenge encourages students to develop a better understanding and passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) by researching and writing an informative essay offering solutions to today’s challenges regarding food, energy, protection and innovation, or a story on a science discovery.

“The increase in population, a growing global middle class and finite natural resources are challenges that we believe can be solved through collaborative science,” said Karen A. Fletcher, vice president of DuPont Engineering, Facilities Services & Real Estate and Chief Engineer. “Solvers have such a critical role in the work we do globally. And it is through programs like The DuPont Challenge that we can help inspire tomorrow’s cutting-edge solvers.”

The Elementary Division (grades K-5) asks teachers to help their students explore STEM topics in a classroom-based challenge that gives students the chance to participate in a creative, inquiry-based exploration. The challenges are based on the Next Generation Science Standards and ask students to research, observe, analyze, interpret and communicate creatively. Together, the teachers and students will show their imagination and originality by writing a science story about what they discovered. Submissions are accepted from Nov. 1, 2014, to March 1, 2015.

More than $50,000 in prizes and awards for the winning students, teachers and schools are offered in the Elementary Division. Awards include a Science Is Fun Day assembly for the winning classroom, as well as educational materials and science resources from Britannica Digital Learning, Science Weekly and Carolina Biological Supply. The winning teacher in each grade also will receive an expenses-paid trip to the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference in 2016.

All students in the Junior and Senior Divisions (grades 6-12) may submit a 700–1,000-word essay, from Nov. 15, 2014, to Jan. 31, 2015, addressing one of the following four categories:

  • Together, we can feed the world.
  • Together, we can build a secure energy future.
  • Together, we can protect people and the environment.
  • Together, we can be innovative anywhere.

The DuPont Challenge offers more than $100,000 in prizes and awards for the Junior and Senior Divisions. The top three winners in each division, plus a parent and sponsoring teacher, receive an expenses-paid trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort and an exclusive tour of the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando, Fla. In addition, winning students receive a savings bond and sponsoring teachers receive an expenses-paid trip to the NSTA national conference in 2016. All winners receive digital reference materials from Britannica Digital Learning and the NBC Learn Science Collection for both their personal use and for their entire school.

For more information including official rules, entry forms and award details about the Elementary Division, please visit thechallenge.dupont.com/elementary and for the Junior and Senior Divisions, please visit thechallenge.dupont.com/essay.

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