February 19, 2023
The Ghana Science & Tech Explorer Prize (GSTEP) Challenge has opened for applications for students in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti Regions. Applications are open till Friday 28th April 2023. The 2023 Challenge is increasing the number of participants from 50 to 100 finalist teams with the inclusion of the Eastern region to the participating regions.
Interested participants can apply to join this year’s Challenge by visiting www.gstep.org.gh. To be eligible to apply, students must be in teams of between 4 to 6 team members from the same Junior High School. Students must be in Junior High School at the time of application. The Challenge is open to public and private Junior High Schools in the Greater Accra, Eastern and Ashanti regions. Teams must be represented by a teacher or an adult associated with and selected by their school.
Application forms can be downloaded from the GSTEP website. Upon completion, interested applicants can submit their responses online on the GSTEP website. Applicants are encouraged to thoroughly review the documents provided on the Resources page of the GSTEP website to support them in their application process.
The 100 finalist teams that will be selected for the Challenge will be announced in May 2023. The selected teams will have the opportunity to participate in a series of induction events to prepare them for the Challenge. The teams will then proceed to the Finalist Support Stage of the Challenge where they will be provided with knowledge, guidance, tools and resources in STEM and entrepreneurship and go ahead develop their prototypes.
The teams will be provided with coaches to provide technical support in the development of their prototypes. They will also be provided with mentors who will guide them through the Challenge and provide them with additional knowledge in teamwork, problem solving, communication and presentation. They will also be guided in the development of their business plans.
Teams will proceed to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges where they will be assessed. They will also have the opportunity to present their ideas to the general public at an exhibition. Winning teams will be announced and awarded at a prestigious awards ceremony in January 2024.
The GSTEP Challenge is an initiative by the DreamOval Foundation to convene and strengthen impacts in practical education, STEM and entrepreneurship. The Foundation aims to engage and equip 20,000 young Ghanaians with knowledge, skills and support in STEM and entrepreneurship while positively impacting the communities they live in. To learn more about the GSTEP Challenge visit www.gstep.org.gh.