The 2026 Future City Wisconsin Regional January 17, 2026

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Learn More About the Future City Competition

The Future City Competition is a project-based learning activity introducing middle school students to project management and the Engineering Design Process. Future City starts with a question – How can we make the world a better place? To answer it, middle school students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. Students research, plan, and create a city that exists 100 years in the future while assessing risk and meeting a schedule. Through the deliverables of the project, students will:

  • Apply math and science concepts to real-world issues.

  • Develop writing, public speaking, problem-solving, teamwork, project management, and time management skills.

  • Learn how their community functions to improve citizenship.

  • Build a scale model using recycled materials.

  • Research and design solutions to engineering challenges.

  • Present and defend their design to a panel of technical judges.

Why participate? This cross-curricular educational program allows students to do what engineers do—identify problems, learn the specs, brainstorm solutions, design solutions, build, test, retest, and share their results. This process is called the Engineering Design Process. With the Engineering Design Process and project management at its center, Future City is an engaging way to build students’ 21st-century skills while they apply math and science concepts to real-world problems. Future City meets the following Academic Standards Compliance:

  • Common Core Standards: Science and Technical Literacy

  • Common Core: ELA

  • Common Core: Mathematics

  • Next Generation Science Standards

  • Benchmarks for Science Literacy

  • Principles and Standards for School Mathematics

Who is eligible? Teams can consist of three students or an entire 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade class. However, the official competing team for presentation and Q&A is limited to three students.

What are the elements? Students, with their team members, will complete five deliverables:

  • 1,500-word city essay

  • Scale model (or multiple model segments) built from recycled materials

  • Project Plan

  • City Presentation

  • Q&A session with judges

  • View videos for the different competition elements on our YouTube Future City Playlist.

Is there a theme? Yes, the theme for 2025-26 is “Farm to Table.” Students will design a city that eliminates food waste from farm to table and keeps its citizens healthy and safe.

When is the competition? The Regional Competition will be held in January 2025. (The date will be confirmed soon). The Future City Finals will be in Washington, D.C., from February 14-18, 2026. Future City provides round-trip transportation and hotel accommodations for the First Place Team’s three student presenters, educators, and mentors.

What is the cost? We have waived the registration fee, so it is free to register for the regional competition!

Can I volunteer? Yes, we need over 125 professionals to bring this program to life. We are looking for mentors now for the 2025/26 school year. If you are available for 8+ hours to help mentor a team from September to January, please contact Theresa Wolf, Future City Program Manager, at twolf@stemforward.org. Judges, volunteers, and mentors can register today at https://futurecity.org/register/. Information about the volunteering opportunities will be provided in late Fall 2025.

The 2024-25 WISCONSIN REGIONAL COMPETITION was on January 18, 2025

A Special thank you to all the teams, educators, volunteers, sponsors, parents, and community members who joined us for the 2024-25 competition season!

Congratulations to all of the Award Winners!

NEW AWARD! Trailblazer Award

The Trailblazer Award is given to an all-girl Future City team that demonstrates resilience in overcoming challenges and builds confidence in pursuing STEM careers. Thank you to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) for reviewing our applications and selecting the winner of this award in memoriam of Jen Larsen!

First Place Team Nuevo Comienzo from Waukesha STEM Academy created a video about their Future City Competition experience called "Inside Out 3".

Click below to view it on YouTube.

STEM Forward extends a special thank you to the Regional Future City Steering Committee:

  • Eric Tabaska, Badger Meter

  • James Formea, Eaton

  • Jason Rowell, Astronautics

  • Joe Lucchesi, Butters Fetting (Retired)

  • Nick Seidler, MSOE

  • Sara Feuling, AEM

  • Susan Coyle, MMSD

Thank you to the STEM Forward Board of Directors for their endorsement and support of this program.