Club Training: What’s New in 2026

What's New in 2026

Welcome to the final module of your Club Ambassador training! 🎉 We’ve gathered all the important updates for the new season in one place. These updates will help you guide your teams and stay aligned with the latest program expectations.

5 Updates Every Ambassador Should Know!

1

Spotlight on Ethics

We’re putting a bigger emphasis on ethical considerations in app development across all divisions this year.

Why? With technology advancing quickly now, it’s important for teams to think through the impact of their work and be able to explain their decisions to others.

2

Including Real User Feedback

Junior and senior divisions now must incorporate user feedback, including specific details, into their pitch video – video footage highly encouraged.

Why? Interacting with users and hearing their feedback is a key part of the experience of designing solutions, and we want to make sure teams go through it… even if it’s tough!

3

Using GenAI Wisely

We anticipate that many junior and senior teams will use Generative AI (GenAI) to help with creating their apps. If they do, they’ll need to explain how they used AI and what specific tools they used. (Beginners should stay focused on the basics, since most GenAI tools are meant for ages 13+.)

Why? We want to see how teams are creatively engaging with AI and using it to grow their skills.

4

Lean Business Planning

Senior teams will now submit a 1-page Business Canvas, not a full business plan. They also have to include a few key details from their business within their pitch video.

Why? This follows proven startup practices and is widely used by top accelerators.

5

Encouraging Critical thinking

We’re challenging all teams to think critically! They will now be required to share the resources the team used for their project. For junior and senior divisions, they’ll also need to explain how they verified the legitimacy of those resources.

Why? In a world full of growing misinformation, we’re encouraging students to continue to think critically about the sources they rely on.

RUBRIC UPDATES

There are new judging requirements across all categories. Check out overviews of the changes below and view the 2026 Rubrics here.

NEW REQUIREMENT

Teams must now explain how they considered ethics in developing specific aspects of their app.

ENHANCED

Teams must now discuss specific user feedback, including video footage when possible. Senior division must talk about their business model and financials.

ENHANCED

If a team uses GenAI to build their app, they are now required to explain how they used it. This includes the tools they chose, the prompts they used, how they changed those prompts to improve their results etc.

NEW REQUIREMENT

Replaces the previous 10-page business plan for senior division teams with a shorter, 1-page business canvas. Teams must clearly explain their value proposition, target market, financial plans, and how they used feedback from a business professional.

NEW REQUIREMENT

Teams now need to include a list (bibliography) of all the resources they used or adapted in their project. This includes three parts: (1) what they learned and the challenges they faced, (2) how they checked if the information was reliable, and (3) a list of sources they used or remixed.

CURRICULUM UPDATES

The Technovation curriculum continues to grow. These updates highlight new content areas, improved resources, and upcoming features to support students, educators, and mentors.

  • Languages

OUR CURRICULUM IS NOW AVAILABLE IN 17 LANGUAGES:
English, Arabic, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, French, Georgian, Hindi, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Russian, Spanish (Spain and Latin American versions available)

  • AI

AI tools are always changing, and we’re keeping up. You’ll still find lessons on building models and using AI in your mobile or web app. We’re also adding new tutorials and support to help teams use AI in their projects.

Coming soon: a guide to help educators and mentors new to AI support students in coding and debugging.

  • Ethics
Ethics content is getting a makeover! It will now feature elements from the European Union’s Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) Framework made accessible for students. The updated content will be embedded throughout the curriculum and is expected to launch in September 2025.
  • Standard Alignment

Teachers and educators will soon be able to use our new teaching standards page to easily show how student work on Technovation projects aligns with various standards. We’ll begin with ISTE and the UNESCO AI framework.

  • Sustainable Development Goals
We’re expanding our support for girls addressing key SDG issues through the AI in Action units. These include technical AI tutorials, inspiring alumnae examples, and real-world applications from scientists. Check out what’s live in the “Additional Pathways” section of our main curriculum page.

TECHNOVATION PLATFORM UPDATES

  • Club Naming:

When completing your Club Profile, please ensure your name or, if applicable, organization is included in the name of your Club. You may optionally include Technovation and the name of your region. If you work closely with a Chapter or Club in the same organization, please confirm that you use unique names on the platform. 

Examples:

    • “Technovation Peru – Lucia Castillo “
    • “Teen Turn”
  • Submission Changes:

There is now a slot to submit the Business Canvas instead of the Business Plan.

There will be an additional AI-related question visible to judges during evaluation.

  • Club Selection:

When participants log in for the new season, they’ll be required to confirm their Club or Chapter.

Reminder: Your Club Profile must be complete in order for students to select your Club on the platform.

  • Chapter/Club Flexibility
Participants can now change their Chapter or Club affiliation directly from their account.

🎉

Training Complete!

Thanks for taking the time to complete this training. As an Ambassador, you’re at the heart of the Technovation community and your leadership sets the tone for your students’ learning journey.

We’re so excited to support you this season.

Please complete the training checkpoint on your Club Ambassador Dashboard in order to mark your training as complete. 

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