Submission Guidelines
Deadline: May 5, 2027 5pm PDT | May 6 at 1am WAT | 2am CEST | 5:30am IST
This page lists everything you need to do to successfully submit to Technovation Challenge.
There are several changes for the 2027 competition, highlighted in Lime. Make sure to review this page in its entirety and review your division’s rubric to make sure your submission aligns with what judges will be looking for.
How to participate
- To submit to Technovation Challenge, you will need to be registered as part of a team.
A team can have between 1-5 members. Each team will go into a specific track and division
New: Teams will be automatically placed into one of two tracks, based on team composition:
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- Girls
- Co-ed
Your team will be automatically placed in either the Beginner, Junior, or Senior division to compete, based on the age of the oldest member of your team.
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- Beginner Division: 8-12 years old as of August 1, 2027
- Junior Division: 13-15 years old as of August 1, 2027
- Senior Division: 16-18 as of August 1, 2027
- Each team member will need to complete their own profile, which includes:
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- Name
- Parental consent form
- Age the member will be on August 1, 2027
- Location
- Media consent form (optional)
- Chapter, Site, Club/Class selection (if applicable)
**Team members who will be under 16 as of August 1st 2027, must have parental approval on file before entering any identifiable information (such as full name, photo, or location details) into their profile or submission materials
- Teams will need to submit all required materials for their division, no matter which track they are in. The submission requirements and materials for each division are listed below. We also invite you to review the judging rubric.
- Teams need to follow the language requirements below:
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- All written submission items (project description, project development, learning reflection, business canvas) must be in English.
- For your video, you can speak any language. Subtitles are required for videos in languages other than English and highly recommended for videos in English as well.
- Projects can have buttons, logos, and labels written in other languages.
** Please note that our judges will only score materials submitted in English or that include English subtitles. **
New: The big submission change: from apps to digital solutions
This season, Technovation is expanding what teams can build. You're no longer limited to a mobile app. You can create any working digital solution that solves a real problem in your community.
What counts as a digital solution? Here are some examples:
- A mobile app (still welcome!)
- A web app. Note that websites that are not interactive are not eligible.
- A browser extension or plugin
- A chatbot or AI-powered assistant (for example, on WhatsApp, Telegram, or a website)
- An SMS or voice-based tool
- A data dashboard
- An automated workflow or AI agent
- A Scratch project (Beginner division only)
- Code.org App Lab project
- A coded Robot/Drone/Gadget
The key requirements haven't changed. Your solution must involve coding and/or AI to solve a real problem, be tested with real users, and work. What's new is that you choose the format that best fits your problem and your users, and you explain why that format is the right choice.
Senior Division Submission Requirements
1. Start
- Honor Code
- Project Name
- Team Photo (optional)
2. Video
- New: One video, maximum of 4 minutes (replaces the separate pitch and technical videos).
- Share via YouTube or Vimeo. The video must be uploaded as unlisted or publicly viewable. Private videos cannot be judged.
- Coming soon: we're working to add Canva link and YouTube Shorts link as video options.
- Your video should show viewers:
- why the problem is important to you and the research you did to understand it
- New: your problem researched as a system: what causes it, who's affected, and how different factors connect
- how your solution works, why you chose that format, and why it's the best solution for your users
- evidence of target users providing feedback
- New: a brief overview of key business canvas elements
- New: what you built, what tools you used, and why you chose them
- 2+ iterations of your solution with specific examples of what improved
- your debugging process
- what metrics or evidence you used to know your solution actually worked
- If you are not speaking English in the video, you must include English subtitles. And we highly recommend that videos have English subtitles even if English is spoken in the video.
3. Technical Work
Tell us what coding language(s) or platform(s) your team built with, then submit code and/or an active link based on your solution type:
| Solution Type | Code (File Upload) | Active Link |
| App Inventor | .aia file | N/A |
| Thunkable | N/A | Thunkable project detail page link |
| Mobile App (other languages) | .zip file | App store page (if applicable) |
| Web App | .zip file | Live interactive URL |
| Browser Extension / Plugin | .zip file | Store link or hosted demo URL |
| Chatbot / AI Assistant | .zip file | Live access link |
| SMS or Voice-Based Tool | .zip file | Web sandbox URL or demo phone number |
| Data Dashboard | .zip file | Live interactive dashboard URL |
| Automated Workflow / AI Agent | .zip file | Live access link or hosted UI |
| Code.org App Lab project | N/A | Studio.code.org project link |
| Robot / Drone / Gadget | .zip file | or a URL — either one accepted |
Recommended bonus: Include basic instructions on using your solution and demo login information (if needed) for judges to test, within the .zip file or via comments.
4. Written Components
Project Description (max 100 words): What problem are you trying to solve, and what is your solution?
Project Development
- New: Explain two or more ethical issues you considered while building your project (data privacy, accessibility, energy consumption, algorithmic bias, inaccuracy, environmental impact, unintended consequences, or harm to particular groups). How did you make sure you designed a safe and responsible solution? (max 150 words)
- How did you make sure your information was accurate? If you used AI, how did you double-check the AI-generated responses? Provide a specific example of how you evaluated a source. (max 100 words)
- How did you build your solution? Share all the resources you used (sources, tools, AI systems, etc.) and how each resource helped.
Learning Reflection (max 200 words)
- How did your understanding of the problem change?
- What is one important skill that you learned through your project?
- What challenges did you overcome during your project? How?
- What would you do differently in the future?
Business Canvas - upload your business canvas (doc or PDF)
To see the full details of each submission criterion, reference the judging rubric.
Junior Division Submission Requirements
1. Start
- Honor Code
- Project Name
- Team Photo (optional)
2. Video
- New:One video, maximum of 4 minutes (replaces the separate pitch and technical videos).
- Share via YouTube or Vimeo. The video must be uploaded as unlisted or publicly viewable. Private videos cannot be judged.
- Coming soon: we're working to add Canva link and YouTube Shorts link as video options.
- Your video should show viewers:
- why the problem is important to you and the research you did to understand it
- how your solution works, why you chose that format, and why it's the best solution for your users
- evidence of target users providing feedback
- New:what you built, what tools you used, and why you chose them
- 2+ iterations of your solution with specific examples of what improved
- your debugging process
- what metrics or evidence you used to know your solution actually worked
- If you are not speaking English in the video, you must include English subtitles. And we highly recommend that videos have English subtitles even if English is spoken in the video.
3. Technical Work
Tell us what coding language(s) or platform(s) your team built with, then submit code and/or an active link based on your solution type. See the format table in the Senior Division section above, it applies to all divisions.
Recommended bonus: Include basic instructions on using your solution and demo login information (if needed) for judges to test, within the .zip file or via comments.
4. Written Components
Project Description (max 100 words): What problem are you trying to solve, and what is your solution?
Project Development
- New:Explain two or more ethical issues you considered while building your project (data privacy, accessibility, energy consumption, algorithmic bias, inaccuracy, environmental impact, unintended consequences, or harm to particular groups). How did you make sure you designed a safe and responsible solution? (max 150 words)
- How did you make sure your information was accurate? If you used AI, how did you double-check the AI-generated responses? Provide a specific example of how you evaluated a source. (max 100 words)
- How did you build your solution? Share all the resources you used (sources, tools, AI systems, etc.) and how each resource helped.
User Adoption
- How many users tested your solution? What feedback did they share? How did you change your plan or project based on the feedback? (max 300 words)
- How do you plan to get people to use your solution in the first year? Which communities will you focus on marketing to? (max 300 words)
Learning Reflection (max 200 words)
- How did your understanding of the problem change?
- What is one important skill that you learned through your project?
- What challenges did you overcome during your project? How?
- What would you do differently in the future?
To see the full details of each submission criterion, reference the judging rubric.
Beginner Division Submission Requirements
1. Start
- Honor Code
- Project Name
- Team Photo (optional)
2. Video
- New:One video, maximum of 4 minutes.
- Share via YouTube or Vimeo. The video must be uploaded as unlisted or publicly viewable. Private videos cannot be judged.
- Should show viewers why the problem is important to you, how you approached your solution, why it's the best solution, and how it will have a positive impact. Show 1 or 2 key features of your solution, a demonstration of how you built it, and what future features you're planning.
- If you are not speaking English in the video, you must include English subtitles. And we highly recommend that videos have English subtitles even if English is spoken in the video.
3. Technical Work
Tell us what coding language(s) or platform(s) your team built with, then submit code and/or an active link based on your solution type.
| Solution Type | Code (File Upload) | Active Link |
| Scratch project | N/A | Scratch project page link |
| App Inventor | .aia file | N/A |
| Thunkable | N/A | Thunkable project detail page link |
| Mobile App (other languages) | .zip file | App store page (if applicable) |
| Web App | .zip file | Live interactive URL |
| Browser Extension / Plugin | .zip file | Store link or hosted demo URL |
| Chatbot / AI Assistant | .zip file | Live access link |
| SMS or Voice-Based Tool | .zip file | Web sandbox URL or demo phone number |
| Data Dashboard | .zip file | Live interactive dashboard URL |
| Automated Workflow / AI Agent | .zip file | Live access link or hosted UI |
| Code.org App Lab project | N/A | Studio.code.org project link |
| Robot / Drone / Gadget | .zip file | or a URL — either one accepted |
- Recommended bonus: Include basic instructions on using your solution and demo login information (if needed) for judges to test, within the .zip file or via comments.
4. Written Components
Project Description (max 100 words): What is the problem you are trying to help solve? What is your solution and how does it solve the problem?
Project Development
- How do you know your solution is safe for everyone and for the planet? (max 150 words)
- What helped you with your project? (people, websites, or other resources)
Learning Reflection (max 200 words)
- What is a challenge that you overcame when creating your solution? How?
- What would you do differently in the future?
- What is one important skill that you learned?
To see the full details of each submission criterion, reference the judging rubric.
Submission Rules for Students
All teams must submit the required materials listed above. Any submission containing placeholder materials, materials that do not belong to the team, or videos that are not accessible to our judges will be removed from judging. If you do not have a certain material, you can indicate that on the submission portal.
For more questions about rules, submission, or judging visit our FAQ.
To learn how your submission will be judged, review the judging rubric.
Key Dates for 2026-2027 Season
Registration Opens: October 11, 2026
12 weeks to submission: February 10, 2027
This is the latest we recommend starting the program
Registration Deadline (Students and Mentors): March 11, 2027 at 23:59 UTC.
The last day to formally register a team
Submission Deadline: May 5, 2027 at 5pm PDT | May 6 at 1am WAT | 2am CEST | 5:30am IST
Quarterfinals (Judging Round 1): May 11 - June 7, 2027
Semifinalists announced: June 14, 2027
Semifinals (Judging Round 2): June 15 - June 28, 2027
Virtual Celebration and Finalists & Regional Honorees Announcement: July 2027
World Summit: TBD