Congratulations to Winners and Finalists in the 2021 Challenge Season!

Here are the top competitors in the 2021-22 academic year NFTE World Series of Innovation.

Mary Kay Gender Equality Challenge - 2021

The Challenge: Design a solution to promote workplace equality and equal access to economic opportunity for women and girls.

Winners

• First Place: STEMinists, an online portal that connects female professionals to mentor young female STEM students to bolster female success in STEM fields. Developed by 15-year-old Misaki Nguyen, student at Silver Creek High School in San Jose, California. See their video here.
• Second Place: Pads for Peace, a feminine product subscription box that donates a box to homeless shelters for every box purchased. Developed by 14-year-old Ashley Cohen, 14-year-old Olivia Mooney, and 14-year-old Ashley Simonian, students at Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California. See their video here.
• Third Place: Black Girls Mean Business, a virtual summer business program for black high school girls that matches young professionals with mentors from industry leading businesses. Developed by 17-year-old Brianna Holmes, 18-year-old Cherry Zhang, 17-year-old Alyssa Torres, and 17-year-old Rachel Holmes, students at Silver Creek High School in San Jose, California. See their video here.

Finalists

• Intern for a Day, a social networking service for professional women to offer mentoring services. Developed by a team from Durant High School in Plant City, Florida. See their video here.
• Rate My Workplace, a website that provides workplace reviews along with gender composition profiles of companies to identify inclusive workplaces. Developed by a team from Delhi Public School in Dwarka, India. See their video here.
• Prowess, a returnship (an internship that helps adults who have taken time away from their careers and are interested in re-entering the workforce) platform to match women to employers. Developed by a team from William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. See their video here.
• We Are Stronger Together, an awareness campaign and advocacy group that seeks to improve the health and well-being of South African women by providing education and easy access to feminine products. Developed by a team from Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California. See their video here.
• CheckQuo, a hiring app that that hides applicant gender during screening to standardize hiring practices. Developed by a team from Hayward High School in Hayward, California.
• Within Reach, a company playroom that allows workers with children to have access to childcare during working hours. Developed by a team from Abraham Lincoln High School in Los Angeles, California.