2012 STEM Challenge Opens For Student Submissions

The second annual STEM Video Game Challenge has begun accepting game ideas and prototypes from students and educators in a contest designed to encourage science and math education. As with last year's inaugural STEM Challenge, this year's contest sets out to promote science, technology, engineering and math education, both as explicit subjects of the entered games and through the game design process itself. Unlike the first STEM challenge, however, this year's contest will not accept entries from professional game developers that are not associated with a school or educational non-profit. This year's competition also introduces a new PBS Kids category for math-based games aimed at pre-K through fourth graders and a Sesame Street category for college-student-designed entries meant for pre-K through 1st graders, inspired by the Sesame Street curriculum. Prizes for middle and high school participants include AMD laptops, game design software and tools, as well as $80,000 in cash and software for the school. College entrants will compete for a $30,000 prize pool, while educators will be eligible for up to $40,000 in prizes. The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop and E-Line Media are the main organizers behind this year's contest, with support from the AMD Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Entertainment Software Association and Microsoft. Organizations ranging from the International Game Developers Association to the American Library Association will also be promoting the challenge through educational events and assistance with entries. Entries will be accepted through March 15, 2012 at the STEM Challenge web site.