On the morning of April 15, 2026, nearly 200 youth from across the Metro-Atlanta area filed into the Fernbank Science Center’s Planetarium for a day of competition and celebration at the Green Heart STEM Challenge (GHSC) 2026 – EARTH Finale, powered by Amazon!
Among the attending youth were ten finalist teams waiting to hear whether they had been selected for the highlight of the event: the Live Pitch Competition. This year’s judging panel featured Moe Davis from Georgia Natural Gas, Andrew Harrison from Voya Financial, and CPF Board Member, Sydney Langdon from Warner Bros. Discovery.
For the 2026 Challenge, the support of Silver Sponsors, Georgia Natural Gas and Susan J. Klein, and Gold Sponsor, Voya Financial, allowed Team Planet to expand the program’s reach to partner with Atlanta Public Schools, Clayton County Public Schools, and DeKalb County School District.
“It has been such a pleasure to welcome new school districts to the Challenge! Seeing how the educators and students have adopted the program so quickly and with such enthusiasm has been wonderful to witness,” expressed Lauren Stone, Special Projects Manager and lead for the GHSC program.
By the time the Challenge’s registration closed in December 2026, over 2,500 Atlanta students from 34 schools were signed up to join the 2026 EARTH Platform and begin learning about the EARTH-related concepts: food, forests, and soil. This year marks Atlanta’s largest Green Heart STEM cohort yet, offering diverse perspectives on EARTH issues and potential solutions from a wide range of metro-Atlanta locations.
“Our first Green Heart STEM Challenge launched in metro Atlanta four years ago, and since then, the program has grown to include the metros of Houston and Miami,” said COO Latoya Henry. “Partnering with three large metro Atlanta school districts allowed us to reach our largest cohort of students yet to help young people turn their ideas into ACTION through mentorship and implementation grants. Young people are ready to lead, and we’re incredibly excited to support them in making a meaningful impact on their communities now.”
Student-led solutions were submitted in early March, in which each team proposed an Action Plan that addressed the root cause of their selected problem, identified relevant stakeholders, showcased credible research, and provided a detailed outline for project implementation. They also submitted a creative, two-minute video that shared their inspiration and project plans.
From these projects, ten finalist teams were announced at the event and invited onstage to pitch their solutions to the judging panel. Team Planet saw an array of subsection focuses, leading to a hearty mix of soil, food, and forest solutions being called to the stage. Judges asked follow-up questions to these top teams in addition to the question, “If your team were to win the Green Heart STEM Challenge Implementation Grant, how would you use it?”
Outside of the pitching competition itself, students enjoyed a day of dancing, celebration, and special activities presented by the Fernbank Science Center Team, including meet-and-greets with the reptiles that live on-site.
“The energy in that planetarium was undeniable,” said Adam Sichel, Program Coordinator at Captain Planet Foundation and Emcee for the event. “When there is a live DJ, students dancing and singing at the top of their lungs, it cements for them that community-based STEM innovation is cool, fashionable, and iconic even.”
The Atlanta Finale has been the signature experience for Metro Atlanta youth since its debut in 2023.
Listed below are the winning teams from the 2026 Atlanta EARTH Finale:
1st Place – Bioware Solutions, Tucker High School
Mentor Educator: Nicole Chapman, DeKalb County Public Schools
Problem: Non-biodegradable, single-use materials are used in many school cafeterias, resulting in environmentally harmful materials that endanger ecosystems, threaten the survival of living organisms, and impede the decomposition of biodegradable materials.
Solution: Reduce their school’s environmental impact during lunchtime by replacing plastic and Styrofoam trays with biodegradable cafeteria materials and utilizing compost bins implemented by 2025 winners and peers, The Compost Queens, through additional educational initiatives.
2nd Place – Compact, South Atlanta High School
Mentor Educator: Andrea Miller, Atlanta Public Schools
Problem: This team identified that rising temperatures and poor air quality in South Atlanta are causing health risks for the community.
Solution: They plan to plant trees and expand local green spaces to reduce heat by providing canopy shade and improve the air quality through reforestation.
3rd Place – Georgia GroundBreakHers, Mundy’s Mill Middle School
Mentor Educator: Telisa Gentry, Clayton County Public Schools
Problem: Fort Gillem, a retired Army base in Forest Park, GA, that helped move supplies and equipment over many years. Although the base was closed in 2011, the soil and water in the area were contaminated with PFAS, also called “forever chemicals,” from the base’s practices.
Solution: This team aims to restore the soil by adding mineral-rich materials (inspired by volcanic soil and its nutrients) along with composting and planting vegetation to rebuild soil health.
Team Planet can’t wait for next year when Metro-Atlanta students tackle the 2027 FIRE Challenge, where they will focus on issues and solutions surrounding renewable energy, transportation electrification, and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels!
Interested in participating in next year’s FIRE Challenge? Sign up for Green Heart STEM Challenge Updates!