Deadline: 08-Oct-2025
The “Accelerate STEAM Education: The 2025 GM Challenge” is being launched by General Motors and MIT Solve to seek inspiring solutions that expand access to STEAM learning across the United States and empower learners of all ages to explore and succeed in STEAM careers.
The challenge focuses on increasing access to STEAM education, enabling learners to build critical interdisciplinary skills, fostering career readiness, ensuring inclusivity and representation, and inspiring the next generation of innovators. With STEAM jobs expected to grow at more than twice the rate of non-STEAM jobs and median earnings projected at over $86,000, the challenge addresses a pressing need to expand equitable pathways into these fields.
General Motors is driving the future of transportation through advanced technology and its wide portfolio of innovative vehicles, including the industry’s broadest range of EVs, while maintaining a strong corporate commitment to STEAM education. MIT Solve, an initiative of MIT, serves as a global platform for open innovation, launching challenges to source exceptional solutions to urgent global issues and supporting innovators to scale their impact. Together, GM and Solve are creating an opportunity for changemakers to deliver transformative education initiatives in the U.S.
The challenge process is structured around three phases: sourcing, selecting, and supporting solutions. Submissions are open to eligible applicants, and after the October 8, 2025 deadline, MIT Solve, GM, community reviewers, and a panel of judges will screen and review the entries. Ten to twelve solutions will be selected as finalists and invited to pitch virtually during interview sessions in December 2025. From these, up to five winners will be chosen to share in a prize pool of $250,000. In addition to funding, winners will join a six-month support program that includes coaching, workshops, and cohort meetings designed to strengthen and scale their initiatives.
The timeline for the challenge begins with its opening on August 18, 2025. An information session will take place on September 9, 2025, followed by the submission deadline on October 8, 2025 at noon EDT. Screening and reviews will occur through October and November, finalists will be announced in late November, and interviews and winner selection will take place in December. The six-month support program for winners will run from January through June 2026.
Applicants will be judged on their solution’s alignment with the challenge goals, feasibility, innovation, impact potential, scalability, and human-centered design, as well as their ability to benefit from the Solve community’s support ecosystem. Winning solutions will also gain visibility and the opportunity to connect with General Motors and networks advancing real-world impact in education and workforce development.
Importantly, applicants retain ownership of their intellectual property. Contributions submitted to the platform remain the property of the applicants, though MIT is granted a non-exclusive right to use the materials, and submissions are made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license. This ensures transparency, accessibility, and collaboration while protecting creators’ rights.
The challenge encourages applicants to present authentic and well-developed solutions that reflect their passion and unique perspective. While generative AI tools may be used for initial drafting, applicants are strongly advised to ensure submissions are personal, accurate, and reflective of their solution’s true status to avoid disadvantages in the review process.
For more information, visit General Motors.
