Conrad Challenge - 2022 Innovation Summit 25 April 2022 Virtual
Unfortunately, the last two Innovation Summit events have been held virtually due to COVID-19. We plan to resume an in-person Summit this year in April 2022 at a NASA visitor complex (dates to be determined). We also plan to hold the Virtual Finals prior to the in-person event for Finalists who are not able to attend in person and other invited teams. No matter the location, it will be an event to remember! More information coming soon.
Overview of the Challenge
Providing students a virtual, purpose-driven education is more important today than ever before. Entering its 16th year of designing a sustainable future, the Conrad Challenge offers a unique opportunity to a global community of students to collaborate and innovate together virtually. They become entrepreneurial problem-solvers, addressing challenging social, scientific and societal issues locally or globally.
Guided by teachers and industry experts, the Challenge fosters collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, and communication among student participants. The result: students develop the skills needed to thrive in college and in the 21st century workforce, bringing commercially viable, sustainable innovations to life.
The 2021-2022 Conrad Challenge will focus on global sustainability, not only through our four traditional categories, but also with a special category, Smoke-Free World: Re-purposed Farmlands & Alternative Uses of Tobacco (and its by-products), presented by our sponsors at the Foundation for a Smoke-Free World.
The 2021-2022 competition is now open to student teams (2-5 members, ages 13-18) to register and submit their Investor Pitches by November 5 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. Don’t miss your chance to share your innovations with the world! Visit ConradChallenge.org or follow @ConradChallenge on social media to learn more. Click here to check out their video! Take a look at their digital toolkit which includes elements that can be utilized for sharing and outreach.
What does the Conrad Challenge journey look like?
The Conrad Challenge is divided into 3 rounds:
- Round 1: The Investor Pitch | Aug. 20 – Nov. 5
- Round 2: The Business Plan | Nov. 5 – Jan. 7
- Round 3: The Innovation Summit | April 2022
Other Ways to Support The Conrad Challenge
Join us as a Judge:
Each year, we seek out individuals to serve as online judges during Round 2: The Business Plan of the Conrad Challenge. On average, we need over 450 judges to support the important review of our participants' submissions. Being a Conrad judge is easy, all online, and comes with training and detailed support from past judges and staff. We promise... it’s an experience worth participating in! Learn more here.
Share your industry knowledge:
A key element of the Challenge is connecting our students with experts from various industries and fields of government, research, and academia. You can help support the students of today and take an active role in shaping our future workforce by sharing your insights and experiences, either through becoming a subject matter expert or joining us as a webinar guest speaker!