ABOUT THE COMPETITION

STEM means Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and is the focus of the curriculum at many schools and is the basis for many of the most in demand careers.

The STEM Challenge is an annual event that aims to challenge young minds from schools across the UAE with a keen interest in science, technology, engineering, and math, to put their energies and skills toward an exciting competition. The inter-school event requires teams of four to put their knowledge and skills together to answer STEM-related questions and solve problems.

The STEM challenge allows students to compete at an interschool level, to put their STEM skills including problem-solving, creativity, critical thinking to the test, and to practice teamwork.

The competition is accessible to all students at no cost.

The challenge includes STEM-related quizzes, a building project to test their engineering skills, and a final power round of questions and answers!

The major areas covered are Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Technology (Computer science), and (a bit of) Astronomy, however any area of science is possible.

Students studying Grade 10 or above (as of April 2021) are eligible, with an exception for schools that only go through grade 9.

Each team must consist of 4 students belonging to the same school, however exceptions can be made where a school is unable to form a team and has participants from another school.

There is no cap on the number of teams that can participate from one school as long as the team members meet the eligibility criteria.

There is not any particular study guide but students can study general materials in all of the sciences and mathematics to prepare.

No, due to the COVID19 pandemic, the event is being held entirely online. However, students proceeding to Round 2 – Engineering Project are required to have one member of their team visit our campus to collect the engineering kit and after building the project, to drop it off at the campus.

The mentors play a vital role in guiding students on how to get ready for the challenge. Also, all updates will be first communicated to the mentors as they will be considered the point of contact throughout the challenge.

As long as the students match the criteria as of April 2021, we can accept them into the competition. Any exceptions are subject to Curtin Dubai’s approval. You may send your query to [email protected] before April 8, 2021 if you feel an exception is warranted in your case.

It is Thursday, 8 April 2021.

Please click the ‘Register Now’ button on this page; it will redirect you to a form that you can fill in.

Each participating student must register their details individually. Students are required to finalise the mentor and team name before registering. The mentor does not need to register through the form.

The events team will send complete guidelines regarding the platform being used and how each student can log in.

Students are required to arrange a common space if they are comfortable (while following the health and safety protocols) or have one team member build the project with the rest of the team’s input.

Curtin Dubai has gone online since the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 and the campus remains closed for any student activities.

Rounds 3 and 4 will be held online. These rounds will have slightly advanced questions on STEM topics and will be conducted over zoom.

All students will receive a certificate of participation. The winning teams will earn prestigious scholarships, trophies, and medals.

Yes, they will receive a token of appreciation from Curtin University upon successful participation of their teams in the competition.