Expert Overview

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision is a national science competition, run by Toshiba and the National Science Teaching Association, in which teams of two to four K–12 students research a current technology and envision what it could become 10 or more years from now. Teams submit a written project, judged within four grade-band categories.

Format

Team

Judging Format

Jurors, Criteria based, Scoring based: Judging is done regionally by scientists and then nationally by Ph.D. scientists, and projects are scored based on creativity, scientific accuracy, communication, and feasibility of vision

Monetary

Grade Eligibility

Rising Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

Geographic Eligibility

US, International

Discipline

ScienceTechnologyEngineeringResearch

Entries

6,000

Percent Awarded

10%

Important Dates

Project deadline

January 27, 2027

Regional winner announced

March 19, 2027

National winner announced

April 28, 2027

Eploravision Awards Weekend

June 9-12, 202

Passed

Open

Approaching: < 1 mo.

Priority: < 2 weeks

Urgent: < 1 week

Registration Cost

No entry fee

About

Entry is free for students in the U.S., Canada, and U.S. territories, and individuals cannot enter alone: a team needs a coach, who submits the project online by January 27, 2027. Each project includes a 150-word abstract, a description of up to 11 pages, a bibliography, and a technology launch flyer. AI tools may be used to brainstorm but must be cited, and the oldest student on a team sets its category.

Close to 450,000 students have taken part since 1992. Each year, 24 teams are named regional winners and eight go on to win national prizes, four first-place and four second-place, while about 200 earn honorable mention. Regional winner is the threshold that counts; honorable mention and a completed-project certificate recognize a finished entry, not selection. National first-place students each receive a $10,000 savings bond.

ExploraVision is the right competition for a student who wants to turn research into a reasoned prediction of how a technology could change, working with teammates and a teacher, and to be judged on a written project.