presented by The Allstate Foundation

STUDENT IMPACT CHALLENGE

The Student Impact Challenge celebrates student achievement and agency in solving the most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges.

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Student Startup Competition - SXSW EDU 2023 - Photo by Holly Jee

ABOUT

 

The Student Impact Challenge provides high school students making an impact in their community with an opportunity to share their talents, validate and refine their ideas, and gain experience. This year’s competition is presented by The Allstate Foundation, which empowers youth to serve their communities and create positive change.

Watch selected finalists compete live before a panel of industry experts in the Student Impact Challenge on Wednesday, March 6 on the Next Stage in the SXSW EDU Expo. Following the live competition, join us for ice cream and the winner announcement at the Student Impact Ice Cream Social.

Application Process

High School students are encouraged to complete the online application process to be considered as a finalist for the Student Impact Challenge.

Tuesday, August 8 | Application Opens
Friday, October 27 | Application Closes

Eligibility Requirements

  • You must be a currently enrolled high school student and 13 years or older in order to be considered.
  • Both U.S. and international applicants are eligible.
  • Solo and team applicants qualify.
  • Proposed solutions must be past the ideation stage and must be in active development.
  • Proposed solutions must be seeking to solve social challenges that resonate in communities at a local, regional, national, or international level, regardless of project scale.
Opportunities for Selected Finalists

Finalists

  • Receive 6 complimentary credentials to SXSW EDU 2024 (2 for the student presenters, and the remaining 4 for adult chaperones and additional team members).
  • Pitch live to an audience of educators, investors, and changemakers on the Next Stage in the SXSW EDU Expo for the opportunity to win the “Student Impact Award.”
  • Have access to coaching sessions with savvy innovators selected by SXSW EDU to help participants refine and perfect their pitch.

Semifinalists

  • Receive 6 complimentary credentials to SXSW EDU 2024 (2 for the student presenters, and the remaining 4 for adult chaperones and additional team members).
  • Have access to coaching sessions with savvy innovators selected by SXSW EDU to help participants refine their project idea and develop a pitch in the event that a finalist team is unable to participate.
  • Opportunity to showcase project idea to a live audience of educators, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators on the Next Stage in the SXSW EDU Expo.
Award

Student Impact Award:

This award is given to the Student Impact Challenge’s grand prize winner. The recipient of this award impressed the judges as the top project with its innovative solution to a clear problem, strong execution plan, proof of concept, potential, and unique perspective of the team.

Frequently Asked Questions

For frequently asked questions and answers, check out the Student Impact Challenge FAQ.

History

This is the inaugural year of the Student Impact Challenge. But you can learn more about past student competitors and winners at SXSW EDU on our history page.

JUDGES

Sabari Raja

Managing Partner

JFFVentures

Greg Weatherford

Program Officer, Youth Empowerment

The Allstate Foundation

Zoë Jenkins

Senior Advisor

Kentucky Student Voice Team

Ehsan Zaffar

Executive Director

The Difference Engine

EMCEES

Averie Bishop

Lawyer & Advocate

Miss Texas 2022

FINALISTS

 

Clore
Mountain View, California

Clore aims to safeguard homes, landscapes, and other infrastructure by creating new and innovative fire retardant solutions. Current wildfire solutions aren’t based towards the average consumer and because so many communities face the effects of wildfires firsthand, we hope to make them more accessible. Our product, Clore Wildfire Defense, may be used on areas that are easily ignitable. It may be sprayed and applied to areas months in advance, and provides flame resistance in case of a fire.

Faça Parte (Be A Part)
São Paulo, Brazil

Faça Parte addresses the digital literacy gap amongst senior citizens through interactive and engaging classes taught by teenage volunteers. With modules such as: "how to detect fake news; how to use social media; how to avoid online scams; and how to use banking apps", we hope to empower this underrepresented part of society with the knowledge to navigate the digital realm safely and confidently, offering a social learning environment, in which seniors can interact, observe, and collaborate.

Girley
New York, New York

Girley is a financial education app for young girls designed to tackle the finance gender inequality gap in an engaging and fun way. It takes users from the basics of money to understanding the economy and learning to build wealth through games and quizzes.

ReAlign
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

Affecting 1 out of every 20 people, amblyopia is a type of neurodevelopmental disorder that is caused by abnormal vision development in childhood and constitutes the largest threat to the vision of children. To address this global issue, we developed ReAlign, a web application that is able to both diagnose and manage amblyopia in young individuals using new advancements in technology. With a 93% efficiency rate, ReAlign provides accessible and engaging treatment for affected youth worldwide.

STEM IT
Frisco, Texas

Inspiring STEM and entrepreneurship fuels innovation. Early exploration empowers students for real-world application, cultivating an innovative mindset and societal progress. Kindling the spirit of inquiry in the young kids makes them think beyond the box. I as a 13 year old STEM inventor and entrepreneur can truly inspire our future.

A Sustainable Future
Rockaway, New Jersey

ASF reduces irresponsible paper consumption in schools by 1) providing a nationwide statistical paper-tracking tool, ASF’s Paper Consumption Model (PCM), to help schools both predict paper consumption and determine appropriate paper expenses calculated from easily-accessible user metrics and 2) engaging students in a hands-on Paper Consumption Program (PCP), taking them through the entire process of researching, analyzing, developing, coding, and presenting their very own PCM for their school.

SEMIFINALISTS

 

Care Connected, Inc
Austin, Texas

Care is best when Connected. Connection is a state of the art software suite that connects Assisted Living Facility families and staff to create better care through personalization.

Project B.L.A.C.K
Brookly, New York

The Project B.L.A.C.K initiative serves as a gateway to connect students to more post secondary opportunities and resources by not only helping teens learn about themselves but helps them pass on the information to their families. Some students lack the resources needed for post secondary success, it is important that Project B.L.A.C.K addresses this. Whether it's about career readiness or healthy relationships, Project B.L.A.C.K claims to tackle each part of students' possible future endeavors.

COACHES

Rubén Cantú

Executive Director

The University of Texas at Austin

Felicia Harrington

Assistant Director, Youth Programs

Horn Entrepreneurship, University of Delaware

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