Middle-Schoolers Lead the ‘Charge’ Toward Sustainable Cities at the 32nd Annual Future City® STEM Competition

Coinciding with the Release of CITIES OF THE FUTURE IMAX Film

Washington, DC – The Future City® Competition, a premier STEM engineering challenge for middle school students, proudly unveils the finals of its 2023-24 season, set to take place in Washington DC from February 17-20, 2024 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. This year’s competition, themed “Electrify Your Future,” challenges 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade students to design 100% fully electric cities powered by clean, green, and renewable energy sources.

Future City® brings over 60,000 of the brightest young minds from 1,800 schools in 37 regions in the US as well as global teams from Canada and China. Teams present their ideas at regional competitions in January and regional winners then face off at the Future City Finals. 

The current competition encourages students to showcase their visions of an electric city, tackling real-world issues related to sustainable energy, industry, transportation, agriculture, and overall environmental well-being. The competition culminates with one team taking home the grand prize including $7,500 for their school’s STEM program (provided by finals sponsor Bentley Systems) and a STEM experience.

Adding to the excitement this year, the Future City finals coincide with the release of the IMAX Film “CITIES OF THE FUTURE”, which follows one of the teams from last year’s Future City Finals in Washington, DC. Presented by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), produced by the Academy Award® nominated film company MacGillivray Freeman and narrated by award-winning actor John Krasinski, the movie showcases the creativity and ingenuity of young minds participating in the Future City® Competition.

“As we witness the brilliance of young minds electrifying their visions of sustainable cities, we’re reminded that the Future City® Competition is not just about shaping the future; it’s about empowering a generation to be architects of change. These middle-schoolers aren’t just designing cities; they’re forging pathways to a brighter, cleaner tomorrow.” says Kathy Renzetti, CEO and Executive Director of Discover Engineering.

Future City® extends its gratitude to major sponsors, including the Bechtel Corporation, Bentley Systems Inc., NCEES, PMIEF, and the Overdeck Family Foundation. The competition is also supported by Linde Engineering, Pentair Foundation, and Shell Energy.

For those passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers, Future City has ongoing volunteer opportunities.

The Future City® competition is a program of Discover Engineering, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. DiscoverE’s initiatives include Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day™, World Engineering Day, Chats with Changemakers, and outreach for the Cities of the Future and Dream Big films.