NIC Readiness Evaluation Program

Are you ready for the National Innovator Challenge?

The National Innovator Challenge (NIC) is an annual, K-12, innovation competition that promotes and celebrates youth innovation in the United States.

The primary goal of the NIC is to give every child in the United States an opportunity to learn innovation skill through unstructured problem-solving activities that connect to core STEM standards.

The challenge is held virtually so that any student in the US has an opportunity to enter. To be eligible to participate, students must be nominated by an “NIC Nominating Partner.” If your school, club or student program is not a nominating partner, there are two options:

Your school, club or student program can become a nominating partner for NIC by reaching out to NIC@HewittLearning.org.
Students can submit an application through another existing NIC Nominating Partner. The NIC Nominating Partner will assess the student’s/team’s readiness for the national program and advance them if they are deemed ready by the NIC Nominating Partner.

Innovation World is a proud Nominating Partner for the National Innovator Challenge (NIC). We will evaluate if your readiness for this national competition. If you’ve previously participated in local, regional, or state-level innovation competitions – but don’t have a nominating organization – you may apply for the NIC Readiness Evaluation Program through Innovation World using the form below.

Note: This opportunity is best suited for students who already have competition experience. NIC participants are typically seasoned innovators, and we recommend gaining foundational experience through local or state-level competitions before applying.

Other important information:

The NIC Readiness Evaluation Program submission deadline is June 14, 2025.
An individual or team may only apply to represent one project at the National Innovator Challenge.
A team or individual may only apply to be evaluated by one NIC Nominating Partner for the current year’s event.
If your school, club or student program is an NIC Nominating Partner and they did not promote you to the NIC, you may not seek evaluation and nomination through another NIC Nominating Partner.
While our goal is to advance as many students in the U.S. to NIC through our readiness program, there is no guarantee that by going through the NIC Readiness Evaluation Program you will advance to the NIC.
No refunds will be available once your interview has been scheduled.

How It Works:

1. Complete the Online Submission Form
Complete the online submission form (One form per team; include all members). To be evaluated and considered for nomination to the NIC, you will need to provide:

Basic contact information

Basic innovation information

Your Innovation Journal/Logbook

60 Second (or less) Pitch Video or Commercial (MP4 or MOV)

A 6-slide Presentation (saved as a PDF)

Participate in a virtual interview with 1-3 evaluators, answer questions and receive feedback

2. Pay the Student Evaluation Fee
$25 individual

Team of 2: $50

Team of 3: $75

Note: No refunds will be available once the interview has been scheduled.

3. Participate in a Virtual Interview

4. Receive One of Two Outcomes
A Certificate of Nomination and Invitation to participate in the NIC

A Certificate of Participation with feedback to help you grow and reapply in the future

If selected to advance, you will pay a separate NIC fee when you register for the national challenge.

✅ When ready, submit your form using the link below. You’ll receive next steps by email within 72 hours. Don’t see it? Check your spam/junk folders.

📧 Questions? Contact us at info@innovationworld.org

Resources, Requirements and Tips:

Key info from the NIC Student Handbook

Student Logbook Templates

As an innovator, it’s essential to document your journey as it happens. A logbook or journal helps you capture the full story of how you identified the problem, who it affects, how you developed your solution, and more. The format is up to you: handwritten, digital, or on a smart device. What matters most is that your logbook includes the key details of your innovation process. Below are examples of logbooks and the level of detail expected by grade band.

Grades K-2

Grades 3-5

Grades 6-12

Sample 6-Slide Presentation Layouts
Below are links to sample presentations slides. Your slides do not have to look like these slides, but they should include the information shown on the slides (as appropriate based on the student’s grade level).

Sample Presentation Slide 1

Sample Presentation Slide 2

Sample Presentation Slide 3

Sample Presentation Slide 4

Sample Presentation Slide 5

Sample Presentation Slide 6

How you will be evaluated
Below are the evaluation criteria for 2024 Independent Innovator and National Innovator Challenges. This is the same criteria that will be used through the NIC Readiness Evaluation Program.

TOTAL: 135 Points

How to Score Each Category

1. Logbook/Journal (10 Points)

9–10 points (Exceptional): Very clear, complete, and well-organized. Shows deep thinking, planning, testing, and reflection.

7–8 points (Good): Covers most key elements; some areas (e.g., research or testing) may be lighter.

5–6 points (Adequate): Basic notes or summaries; missing some key steps or detail.

0–4 points (Limited): Incomplete or hard to follow. Minimal effort or vague documentation.

2. Video Pitch (10 Points)

9–10 points (Exceptional): Clear, confident, and creative. Effectively explains the problem, solution, and target audience.

7–8 points (Good): Covers the basics well but may lack polish or engagement.

5–6 points (Adequate): Basic explanation; less engaging or missing key elements.

0–4 points (Limited): Hard to understand or missing essential information.

3. Communication (20 Points)

(Overall presentation across all materials)

18–20 points (Exceptional): All elements are polished, visually engaging, and easy to understand. Strong storytelling.

14–17 points (Good): Clear and understandable; minor areas could be improved.

10–13 points (Adequate): Understandable but may be disorganized or visually weak.

0–9 points (Limited): Confusing, hard to follow, or missing important components.

4. Innovation Process (50 Points)

45–50 points (Exceptional): Thorough, creative, and reflective process shown. Multiple iterations and problem-solving demonstrated.

35–44 points (Good): Strong effort shown; some testing and refining evident but not as extensive.

25–34 points (Adequate): Basic steps are there but less depth or limited iteration.

0–24 points (Limited): Little evidence of process, testing, or refinement.

5. Innovation Impact (45 Points)

40–45 points (Exceptional): Highly original, well-researched, strong potential for real-world use or social good.

30–39 points (Good): Good idea with some originality and positive potential.

20–29 points (Adequate): Some value but less clear market or user need.

0–19 points (Limited): Basic or unclear impact. Limited originality or research.

Submission for NIC Readiness Evaluation

This form is to register with Innovation World to be evaluated for readiness for the National Innovator Challenge. Participants who are deemed ready will advance to NIC.

Participants deemed not ready for NIC will not advance to the NIC but will be provided input on improvements they might consider implementing for a future NIC season.

You may submit the form below for an individual innovator or a team of up to 3 innovators (all on the same form). Note: All teammates must be registered together, using the same registration form.

Note: there is a $25 per student fee payable through this submission form to Innovation World for this evaluation service ($25 = individual innovator, $50 = team of 2, $75 = team of 3). For students who advance to the NIC, additional registration fees will apply.

Before you get started, make sure you have the following information:

* Innovation Information: Type of Innovation (Idea, App, or Prototype), Problem Innovation Solves, How the Innovations Solves the Problem

* Student Information (for all teammates if a team): Student First/Last Name, Grade, State/Territory, Zip Code, Parent Email Address

* Uploads: Logbook/Journal PDF, 6 Slide Presentation, URL for YouTube Video

Note: Prior to completing your payment, you have the opportunity to save your registration form and come back to it later (by pressing “Save and Continue Later” at the bottom of the form).

When you click on “Save and Continue Later’ we will emailed you a URL (to the email address you have indicated in the registration form). With this Save URL you can return to the saved registration to complete it later. If you did not receive the email after you click on “Save and Continue Later” check your spam/junkmail or contact: info@innovationworld.org.

Note: Registration forms not completed by the deadline will not be evaluated for participation in the NIC.

General Information

First and Last Name of Person Completing Form:(Required)

Person completing this form must be 18 years old or older.

Person Completing Form Is:(Required)

Parent/Guardian

Teacher

Student 18 years old or older who has permission to register any/all students shown on this form

Email Address of Person Completing Form:(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

Phone(Required)

Total Number of Students Representing this Innovation(Required)

Make the appropriate selection based on whether this innovation is represented by an individual innovator or a team of up to 3 innovators. If a team, all team members must be K-12 in order to participate. (note: parents are not teammates, only other students can be teammates).

Student 1

Student1 First and Last Name(Required)

If you indicated above that this is a team you will be offered additional fields to enter all teammates information individually.

U.S. State or Territory of Residence(Required)

Eligible students must reside in the United States or within a U.S. Territory.

Zip Code for Innovator(Required)

Grade Level (or equivalent)(Required)

If you selected to register a team, all members of the team must be a grade K-12 student (or the equivalent) to be eligible to participate.

Parent/Guardian Email Address for Student1(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

If Student1 is 18 years old, they may use their own email address if they prefer.

Student 2

Student 2 First and Last Name(Required)

U.S. State or Territory of Residence(Required)

Eligible students must reside in the United States or within a U.S. Territory.

Zip Code for Innovator(Required)

Student 2 Grade Level (or equivalent)(Required)

If you selected to register a team, all members of the team must be a grade K-12 student (or the equivalent) to be eligible to participate.

Parent/Guardian Email Address for Student2(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

If Student1 is 18 years old, they may use their own email address if they prefer.

Student 3

Student 3 First and Last Name(Required)

U.S. State or Territory of Residence(Required)

Eligible students must reside in the United States or within a U.S. Territory.

Zip Code for Innovator(Required)

Student 3 Grade Level (or equivalent)(Required)

If you selected to register a team, all members of the team must be a grade K-12 student (or the equivalent) to be eligible to participate.

Parent/Guardian Email Address for Student3(Required)

Enter Email Confirm Email

If Student1 is 18 years old, they may use their own email address if they prefer.

Innovation Information

Category of Project (Select the one that best applies)(Required)

Idea

App

Prototype

Social Good Program

Other Innovation

Name of Innovation(Required)

Please list the challenges/competitions where you have shown this or another innovation in the past (include the challenge name, the name of the innovation you shared if not the same as you are submitting now, the date of the event and the event website url)(Required)

The problem your Idea, App, or Prototype solves(Required)

How your innovation solves the problem(Required)

Upload Logbook/Journal (PDF)(Required)

Max. file size: 512 MB.

Upload the PDF version of your logbook, journal or other detailed record of your work.

Upload Slide Presentation(Required)

Max. file size: 512 MB.

6 slides maximum, detailing your innovation process as well as the specifics of your Idea, App, or Prototype (PDF or PPTx).

Upload 60 Second Video Pitch or Commercial (MOV or MP4)

Max. file size: 512 MB.

Save or Continue?

If you have not completed this form in its entirety and wish to be able to come back to it later, please press “Save and Continue Later” to the right of the PayPal buttons.

Note: Registration forms not completed by the deadline will not be eligible to participate in the NIC.

If you have completed this form in its entirety, and are ready to finalize your registration with payment, please click the PayPal button. If you have completed this form in its entirety, and are ready to finalize your registration with payment, please continue by selecting the PayPal button. Note: you do not have to have a PayPal account to be able to pay by credit card through PayPal.

Registration Fee

Price:

Note: No refunds will be available once your interview has been scheduled.

Total for All Students

Important Information

Payment is only processed through PayPal if all fields of the NIC readiness evaluation form are complete.

If you complete your payment through PayPal and the NIC readiness evaluation form was fully completed you will receive an on-screen thank you, and email from info@innovationworld.org and an email from PayPal confirming your payment. Please check your junk and spam mailboxes if you do not see these messages or write to info@innovationworld.org.

IF, you have attempted to check out through PayPal, and have not completed all required fields of your NIC readiness evaluation form, you will be bounced back to the registration form. If this happens YOUR PAYMENT HAS NOT BEEN MADE. Once you have completed all fields of the NIC readiness evaluation form correctly, click the PayPal button again to proceed with your payment. If your registration and payment are successful you will receive an on-screen notification and email from info@innovationworld.org and and email from PayPal. Please check your junk mail and spam folders if you believe you should have received these emails and did not or write to: info@innovationworld.org.

Payment Method