Congratulations to Winners and Finalists in the 2024 Challenge Season!

Here are the top competitors in the 2024-25 academic year NFTE World Series of Innovation.

Impact League - Comerica Quality Education Challenge

The Challenge: Design a solution to develop platforms or initiatives that teach essential industry skills, enabling youth to participate fully in the economy.

Winners

• First Place: , STEMShareKids connects older kids with younger kids to share STEM knowledge through interactive, free events. Similar to platforms like Uber or Airbnb, it facilitates volunteer opportunities where high school students lead STEM activities for younger children. The platform promotes peer-to-peer learning in public venues like libraries, schools, or churches, while helping volunteers develop leadership and communication skills. Events are designed to be engaging and accessible for all participants. Submitted by Avi (17) and Jai Gupta (17) from Seminole High School in Florida. See their video here.
• Second Place: , TradeScope is an afterschool program that uses VR simulations and expert guidance to teach high schoolers about careers in construction, showing them why the trades are important, well-paid, and a great option instead of just going to college. Submitted by Everett Carvalho (17) and Jackson Parker (17) from Abraham Lincoln High School in California. See their video here.
• Third Place: , Finance in Advance is an interactive and scalable financial literacy curriculum for middle schoolers, blending personal finance education with resources like hands-on digital tools, teaching both financial concepts and technical skills to empower futures. Submitted by Jivitesh Baby (17), Parth Sharma (16), and Sreekant Gardas (17) from Farmington High School in Connecticut. See their video here.

Finalists

• Robotics Access (California, USA), RoboticsAccess, an all-in-one platform enabling students to turn technical knowledge into actionable projects by teaching sustainable development, financial literacy, and team management.
• Digizen (Texas, USA), Digizen: a holistic, multilingual platform empowering underserved teens with essential digital, financial, and vocational skills, internet safety, and civic-minded digital citizenship—catalyzing their path to full economic participation.
• Finance in Advance (Connecticut, USA), Our innovation is an interactive and scalable financial literacy curriculum for middle schoolers blending personal finance education with resources like hands-on digital tools, teaching both financial concepts and technical skills to empower futures.
• Opportunity OutReach (California, USA), Opportunity OutReach, a program that connects high school students with local businesses through internships that provide real-world experience, course credit ,and workforce skills while helping businesses fill entry-level positions!
• STEMShareKid (Florida, USA), STEMShareKids: Connecting kids across age groups to share STEM knowledge and cultivate fellowship
• TradeScope (California, USA), TradeScope is an afterschool program that uses VR simulations and expert guidance to teach high schoolers about careers in construction, showing them why the trades are important, well-paid, and a great option instead of just going to college.
• Career Bridge (Oregon, USA), CareerBridge provides high schoolers, especially in underserved communities, with the opportunity to explore various career options via virtual reality and videos, gain information surrounding higher education, and network with professionals.
• One World Academy (Taiwan), One World Academy, an accessible learning resource for essential work skills for all people, ensures students gain practical experience and a direct pathway to employment after completing our program.
• CareerNow (Taiwan), CareerNow is a student-focused newsletter helping 25,000+ students access early career resources, internships, and advice. It empowers early career growth through curated internship opportunities, community insights, and real-world perspectives.
• SkillForge (India), SkillForge is an innovative platform that combines machine learning, immersive learning tools, and real-time industry collaborations to teach essential skills, empowering youth to engage in the economy and reduce global skill gaps.