Southeast Michigan
While the southeast Michigan competition will focus on communities within St. Clair County, young adults residing in the state of Michigan that form teams will be eligible to compete in the EdTech Youth Challenge. Refer to our complete competition rules and regulations for eligibility requirements.

— Identity and personal development,
— Career exploration, or exposure to careers, &
— Integration into the careers that fit the individual's skills and personality.

— Enables people to increase IT skills and earn essential certifications; and
— Helps learners develop skills and organizations build teams they need to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.
Environmental Sustainability
Projects that help humanity be more environmentally conscious and help reduce consumption and degradation of natural resources, and the effects climate change is having on our world and lives.
Human Trafficking
With St. Clair County's close proximity to Canada and major transportation networks between Canada and the United States, human trafficking is a significant issue facing communities in the county.
Malnourishment
A systemic issue stemming from homelessness and poverty, young adults are not immune to the effects of hunger and lack of regular access to food.
Poverty
Approximately 14% of the residents of St. Clair County live in poverty. Many of these individuals are young adults that have limited access to opportunity and chances to better their lives.
Suicide
Suicide is a growing problem in many communities across the nation, particularly among young adults.
AI
Artificial intelligence enables computers and machines to mimic the perception, learning, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities of the human mind.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting the integrity of networks, systems, devices and data from cyber attacks.
Robotics
Today’s robots solve everyday problems and serve as helpers to humans. These robots are not the sentient stuff of sci-fi horror movies, but rather simple machines designed to perform a set of functions.
Competition launch & registration
Details of the competition will be announced, registration will open, and participants can gain access to online resources.
Project exploration, design, & build
Student teams will learn about AI, cybersecurity, and robotics, and apply their learning to a capstone project.
Submission deadline
Teams submit their final capstone projects for judging in the southeast Michigan Area EdTech Youth Challenge.
Judging
Six (6) teams will be selected as semi-finalists. The semi-finalist teams will then attend a one-day design session to build out their solution ideas with the help of experts from IBM, The INDUSTRY, and our partners. At the end of the design session, one (1) winning team will be announced.
Awards ceremony
An awards ceremony will be held following the announcement of the winning team.
The prize
The winning team will have a week-long immersive experience with experts from IBM and our partners to implement their solutions.
- September, 2020Competition launch & registration
- September – November, 2020Exploring, designing, & building capstone projects
- November 20, 2020Submission deadline
- December 12, 2020Virtual design workshop for semi-finalist teams
- December 13, 2020Final video presentations due
- December 19, 2020Awards ceremony
- To Be Determined (most likely Summer of 2021)The prize – week-long immersive experience
Employees from IBM and our partners are eligible to participate in judging, providing technical advisory, design workshop facilitation, and other activities. Please use the link below to register your interest in helping with the southeast Michigan EdTech Youth Challenge.