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ACSI Student Leadership & Learning partners with Grand Canyon University to provide an International Christian STEM Competition (ICSC) for students in grades 6-12. This program is designed to showcase the incredible potential of students from Christian schools in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). With a unique blend of academic rigor and faith-based values, this competition aims to foster creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration while reinforcing the integration of faith and scientific exploration. This in-person competition is available to ACSI member and non-member schools, including global national, international, and U.S. Schools.

International Christian STEM Competition Challenges

The STEM challenges for the 2025-2026 school year will include:

1. M.AI.d FOR MUSIC- AI CHALLENGE
   In this challenge, your team is tasked with creating an AI Music Conductor. Your goal is to design, plan, build, and test an interactive AI that generates a musical composition in response to user input. This will demonstrate how God can magnify your efforts to create something beautiful for His glory.
   
2. CAPTURE THE FLAG-HACKnet/CYBER RANGE CHALLENGE

   Through hands-on, immersive missions, you will engage in simulated cyber scenarios that challenge not only your technical skills but also your faith, determination, and problem-solving mindset. As you uncover hidden “flags” and decode real-world forensic puzzles, you will experience firsthand how belief in purpose and God's guidance can help you overcome even the toughest digital barriers.

3. LET THERE BE FLIGHT-AEROSPACE CHALLENGE

   Every line of code, design sketch, or test is a seed. With faith, even small actions can grow into something meaningful. In this competition, design and build an unpowered glider that can be released remotely from 6 feet and travel the greatest horizontal distance.

4. SNACK QUEST-DATA VISUALIZATION CHALLENGE

   Design, plan, and build an interactive data visualization dashboard that tells the story of popular snacks from your community or around the world, identifying market opportunities and potential gaps for a new snack business. Your dashboard will celebrate the idea that God’s creativity is reflected in the diversity of His people, and that even through something as fun as a snack, we can learn about the vastness and variety of His world and how to meet its evolving needs. 

5. ROBOTICS ROAD (RQ100) Robotics on a Divine Path
   ROBOTICS (RQ300)Faith in Motion
   Using a purchased kit, design, build, code, and drive a robot to complete tasks in an obstacle course. When rooted in faith, it holds the potential to grow into something extraordinary. These competitions are an opportunity to showcase your best work, believing God will amplify your contributions. Please note, this challenge requires the purchase of a robot from - see estimated costs below.
   

• Beginner- RQ100 (estimated robot cost $250)
• Intermediate to Advanced- RQ300 (estimated robot cost $450)
  

NEW FOR 2026-  ONSITE DESIGN: A CHALLENGE FOR EVERYONE!

No separate sign-up needed, Onsite Design is now for all participants! Every student will get to tackle two challenges this year: their chosen challenge and the Onsite Design Challenge!

Get ready for a challenge you can’t prepare for in advance. Your problem-solving skills will take center stage as you and your team use the engineering design process to tackle a mystery challenge revealed on the spot. With the clock ticking, you’ll collaborate to design, build, and test an object or device within a set time frame.

Success will depend on teamwork, communication, and quick thinking. Step up, face the unknown, and see how your team rises to the occasion!

Participation & Selection Process

Student Leadership & Learning and GCU believe every student has the potential to excel in the areas of STEM. We also know we must provide opportunities for students to try, succeed, sometimes fail, collaborate, and try again. This critical thinking and collaboration process is essential to student success. Therefore, an established set of challenge criteria and checkpoints will be in place to ensure students are ready to advance to this level of competition.

Qualification Process

1. Register your school for the competition.
2. Look through each STEM challenge and decide which one(s) you'd like to implement in your classroom.
3. Provide opportunities for experimentation, collaboration, and implementation.
4. Create teams for each challenge in which your school desires to compete. Depending on the challenge, teams typically include 2-5 students. 
5. Ensure teams progress through the ideation, development, and refinement phases and meet your established deadlines.
6. Decide which teams are ready to compete in the International Christian STEM Competition. Then, use the link in your registration confirmation email to register additional students by February 18.
7. Meet our team at GCU and get ready to compete!

Schools Participating Virtually

To be eligible to participate virtually, your school must be designated as an international or global national school, or be located in Canada, Hawaii, or Alaska. More information regarding participating virtually can be found on the registration page.