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Challenge Details

YOUR CHALLENGE IS:

RESEARCH IMPACTS OF CLIMATE HAZARDS IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND DEVELOP A PROPOSED CLIMATE ACTION

ENTRIES DUE: February 07, 2025 | 8:59 PM PT

VOLUNTEER TO JUDGE (18+)
If you are a 9-12th grade student in the United States, we want to hear your ideas for building a better future! Your challenge is to research past and future impacts of climate-related hazards in your community, including drought, wildfire, flooding, and extreme heat, then develop a proposed action to help build a more resilient community. Your entry must be original and include a title (max 50 characters), a written explanation of your proposed climate action (200 words max) and an image (max 3GB) of a “poster” that supports your climate action. The poster can be a digital design or a photo of a hand-made poster. Your climate action should explain at least one way your community can prevent, withstand, respond to, or recover from a climate-related event. Your entry should also address how you plan to make your solution a reality (ex. start an organization, a company or create/sell a product).
 
The grand prize winner will present their poster at the  Innovations in Climate Resilience Conference in Washington, D.C. on April 21, and receive a $5,000 STEM grant for a U.S. nonprofit organization, public library, or public school of their choice. The 2nd - 5th place finalists will receive a $1,500 STEM grant for a U.S. nonprofit organization, public library, or public school of their choice.
 
Students are encouraged to use these five "steps to resilience" to guide their entry development process:
  • Understand Exposure & Climate Hazards - What is the normal climate for your community? What is changing or likely to change in your local climate?
  • Assess Vulnerability & Risk – What aspects of your community (e.g., roads, parks, schools, businesses) will be affected by a climate hazard?
  • Investigate Options – Brainstorm potential actions to help build a more resilient community. Your climate action could be a technology solution, a change of behavior, a school or community program, a response plan, or more. Dream big - the possibilities are endless for a brighter future!
  • Prioritize & Plan – Develop a plan to implement your proposed climate action. Your plan should be feasible and scalable within your community.
  • Take Action – This student challenge is asking for proposed climate actions. Actual implementation of your proposed climate action will not be judged; however, we encourage students to take steps in your community, whether big or small, to make your climate action happen!

Your idea has the power to shape the future of your community! For ideas on different types of climate actions, refer to the  BRAINSTORMING  section below.

 
 

DATES / JUDGING CRITERIA / PRIZES

You have to play by the rules to win.

WHO CAN ENTER

Ninth to twelfth grade students attending a public, private, or home school in the United States, including U.S. territories or possessions and schools operated by the U.S. for the children of US personnel overseas. For all eligibility requirements, please refer to the rules.
Students Grades 9-12

JUDGING CRITERIA

Grades 9-12
 
25
POINTS
Originality of the proposed climate action
25
POINTS
Necessity of the proposed climate action
25
POINTS
Poster’s ability to support the proposed climate action
25
POINTS
Potential for implementation of the climate action in your local community

HOW TO ENTER

Please review the Challenge Rules and FAQ prior to creating your entry.

Challenge Rules FAQ

TEACHERS
Sign up to register your class and manage entries. We now support Google Classroom too!

STUDENTS
Sign up on your own, or use a code to participate with your class.

STUDENT USING GOOGLE CLASSROOM?
Login to Submit

STUDENT & TEACHER SIGN UP
PROGRAM DATES
Challenge Announced
17
October 2024
Entries Close
07
February 2025
Semifinalists Announced
10
March 2025
Finalists Announced
14
March 2025
Finalists Interviews
21
March 2025
Winner Announced
21
April 2025
Challenge Announced
17
October 2024
Entries Close
07
February 2025
Semifinalists Announced
10
March 2025
Finalists Announced
14
March 2025
Finalists Interviews
21
March 2025
Winner Announced
21
April 2025

PRIZES

 

Dive Into The Challenge

Lesson Plan Details and Challenge Tips!

1. Links & Lessons

Learn about climate change

2. Brainstorm & Design

Think about solutions
Links & Lessons
Brainstorm & Design
Links & Lessons
>
Links & Lessons
Brainstorm & Design

LEARN ABOUT THE CHALLENGE

Use these digital resources to learn more about climate in your community, and research case studies about other communities and the actions they are taking to become more climate resilient.

Brainstorm & Design

Understanding the effects of climate change and developing potential solutions is a big challenge, but one of the best places to start is with your community. Here are some ideas on how to brainstorm the impacts of climate change in your community:
Brainstorming Idea
Buildings and Structures

Extreme weather can put increased stress on older buildings and homes, and on other structures like roads, bridges, rails, damns, and reservoirs. What technology solution, change of behavior, school/community program, or response plan can you develop to help build or maintain more resilient structures in your community? Learn more HERE.

Brainstorming Idea
Coastal

Do you live in a coastal environment? Climate change affects U.S. coasts in a multitude of ways. Ongoing global sea level rise, high-tide flooding, storm surge, and coastal erosion all affect coastal communities. What potential climate action can you develop to help your community in the face of climate change? Learn more HERE.

Brainstorming Idea
Inland Flooding

Increasing frequency of heavy precipitation events can lead to flooding in urban and rural communities. Is flooding a threat to your community? What can you propose that will help your community prepare for a potential future flood? Learn more HERE.

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Drought

Severe drought can devastate farms, dry out forests, and reduce food and water availability. How would a drought impact your community? What proposed climate action can you develop to be more resilient to a future drought? Learn more HERE. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Wildfires

Rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation can change the frequency and severity of wildfires, which poses a threat to the vegetation, animals, and people in those areas. Are wildfires a concern in your local community? What technology solution, change of behavior, school/community program, or response plan can you develop to help be more resilient to the threat of wildfires? Learn more HERE.

Brainstorming Idea
Energy

Extreme weather events, and extreme hot or cold temperatures can stress or overwhelm the power grid, which can potentially trigger cascading impacts that interrupt critical services. In your community, what solutions can you propose to help maintain energy service during an extreme climate event? Learn more HERE.

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Green Infrastructure

How can the existing parks, open spaces, and trees within your community be enhanced to support climate adaptation and resilience? Or what new parks or green infrastructure plans might help your community deal with climate change? Learn more HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Carbon Balance

More carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could amplify climatic changes and their impacts on ecosystems. Ecosystems are a significant absorber of carbon dioxide, including forests, grasslands, wetlands, and oceans. The impacts of more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could be detrimental to these ecosystems. Think about your local community - what technology solution, change of behavior, school/community program, or response plan can you develop related to carbon balance? Learn more HERE.

Brainstorming Idea
Communications

When extreme events and hazards occur, communication is imperative. How can your local community be prepared to make sure residents and businesses are able to communicate and receive important alerts during a critical climate event? Learn more HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Climate Equity

Climate change doesn’t affect everyone equally. Are there people or areas in your community that would be disproportionately affected by climate change? What climate action can you propose to help ensure that those who would be most affected are best prepared to deal with a climate hazard or event? Learn more HERE.

 

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Agriculture

Do you live in a rural, agricultural community? Changing climate conditions pose major challenges to food production through reduced livestock productivity, increased rates of crop failure, and altered pressures from pests, weeds, and diseases. What can you propose that will help your agricultural community be more resilient to climate change? Learn more HERE.

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Marine

Is your community dependent on our ocean ecosystems to provide food, jobs, recreation, energy, and other vital services? Carbon emissions in the atmosphere are threatening these ocean resources through ocean warming, acidification, and deoxygenation, which in turn threaten fisheries, aquaculture, and tourism. What technology solution, change of behavior, school/community program, or response plan can you develop to help? Learn more HERE.

Brainstorming Idea
Tribal Nations

Are you a member of a tribal nation? Climate change increasingly impacts the places, foods, and lifestyles of Indigenous Peoples. Native communities are leading efforts to tackle climate change by using their own knowledge and values. What climate action will you propose to protect the traditional livelihoods and critical infrastructure of tribal nations in the face of climate change? Learn more HERE.

 

 

 

 

Brainstorming Idea
Implementation

Think about how you could make your climate solution a reality. What steps will you need to take to implement climate actions in your community? If you plan to create a technology product, will you sell it? If so, do you plan to start a company? If you start a community program, consider creating a non-profit or other organization. There are endless ways to implement climate actions into real-life structures; no idea is too big or small! 

Digital Tools

Build & Iterate

FOR THE CLASSROOM

Group Size

Split into 8 teams

Approach

Assign each team a video lesson and have them present what they learned

Material

None

Educator tools

 

LAUNCHING THE INNOVATORS OF TOMORROW

The "Battelle Climate Challenge" is presented by Battelle. Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, and energy and environmental industries.

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