Future City Middle School Competition
2026-2027 Season
STEM Forward is the proud host of the Wisconsin Regional Future City Competition in January 2027. Join us for an authentic project that transforms middle school students’ understanding of engineering and strengthens their teamwork, problem-solving, and project management skills by registering today!
This Year’s Theme is Fire Resilient Future
Students are challenged to design a resilient future city that can prevent, protect, and recover from urban wildfires.
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 2026-27 is “Fire Resilient Future.” It challenged students to design a resilient future city capable of preventing, protecting, and recovering from urban wildfires.
When was the competition? The Regional Competition will be held in January 2027. The Future City Finals will take place in Washington, D.C., in February 2027. 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 the regional competition is free to register for! The registration deadline is October 31, 2026.
Are There Mentor Opportunities? We are seeking passionate mentors, engineers, STEM professionals, and educators to guide students through this exciting, project-based competition. The mentoring commitment begins at 4+ hours from September through January, during which you will serve as a sounding board for ideas, provide feedback on deliverables, and share your experience to help spark students' enthusiasm for potential STEM careers. Most educators for the 2026/27 season have been paired, but if you are interested in becoming a mentor in the future, connect with Theresa Wolf at twolf@stemforward.org for more information, or complete our Mentor Pairing Form to express interest in being matched with a school. Be part of shaping the next generation of innovators!
Are There Resources for Educators? Yes, here are several videos for you to leverage with your students:
2025-2026 SEASON
The 2026 Future City Wisconsin Regional January 17, 2026
MSOE Kern Center - Milwaukee, WI
Thank you to everyone who celebrated creativity, teamwork, and real-world problem-solving by supporting the 50 Future City middle school teams at the Wisconsin Regional Competition on January 17, 2026!
Congratulations to the Future City Competition winners!
Trailblazer Award
In memoriam of long-time STEM supporter and STEM Forward Board Member Jen Larson, this award is part of our special awards program. It honors her legacy as a champion for inspiring girls to pursue STEM education and engineering careers. The Trailblazer Award is presented to an all-girl Future City team that demonstrates resilience, overcomes challenges, and builds confidence in their future STEM pathways.
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, Baxter & Woodman
Thank you to the STEM Forward Board of Directors for their endorsement and support of this program.