DiscoverE Unveils Winners of 2025 Future City Competition: Students Innovate to Combat Rising Sea Levels
The 2025 Future City Competition, presented by DiscoverE, celebrated the creative ingenuity of students tackling pressing environmental challenges. This year’s theme, “Above the Current,” encouraged participants from numerous schools to design sustainable floating cities as potential solutions to rising sea levels and climate change.
Among the multitude of innovative entries, Team Salacia from Downingtown Middle School in Pennsylvania was awarded the Grand Prize. Their compelling design not only illustrated their engineering capabilities but also reflected their commitment to sustainability and innovative thinking. Winning this accolade means that the team will be rewarded with an exciting trip to the U.S. Space Camp along with a $7,500 grant aimed at enhancing their school's STEM program, courtesy of Bentley Systems, Inc.
Second and third place were claimed by The Floating Dutchmen team from Farnsworth Middle School in New York and FSA TEAM 4/Bangkok Bn Na from Fulton Science Academy in Georgia, earning scholarships valued at $5,000 and $2,000 respectively for their STEM initiatives. Additionally, schools like Mesa Accelerated and Gifted Academy and Isla de Diamantes received $750 each for their programs.
This year also marked the inaugural Future City High School Competition, with Team New Malé from Fulton Science Academy taking home the Grand Prize, which included a cash award of $20,000 and a $10,000 scholarship per student. Their project captured the essence of a futuristic, sustainable city through impressive digital modeling and research, guided by an enthusiastic coach, Annie Nelson.
In total, the competition attracted participation from 37 regions in the U.S. and international teams, with middle school students forming around 83 teams, comprising nearly 300 participants. These students displayed their capabilities in collaboration, engineering design principles, and project management while tackling the competition’s challenges.
Future City continues to be a cutting-edge engineering educational program. It engages students in hands-on projects that encourage them to find real-world solutions to problems, specifically those arising from climate change. DiscoverE emphasizes the importance of STEM education, with evaluations revealing that 84% of participating middle school students perceive math and science as essential for their future careers. The initiative has been universally endorsed by educators, with reports showing that 93% witness their students learning STEM concepts often overlooked in standard curricula.
This year’s competition was also supported by key sponsors like Bechtel Corporation and the Northrop Grumman Foundation, helping facilitate a thriving platform for young innovators.
DiscoverE, dedicated to promoting STEM fields, invites those interested to get involved in mentorship, judging, and participation opportunities, reinforcing a mission to kindle engineering curiosity among future generations. Their website offers resources for volunteers wishing to contribute to this inspiring cause.
By equipping students with the right tools and experiences, DiscoverE is steering a movement to prepare a competent engineering workforce ready to tackle the environmental challenges of tomorrow. For further insights and details, visit www.discovere.org to learn more about this groundbreaking program and its impact on education and engineering.