When is the District competition? February 7, 2026
When is the State competition? March 14, 2026 When will the winners be announced? TBD
What are the submission guidelines? The district Technology & Innovation Competition has the same submission guidelines as the Georgia Student Technology Competition.
How can I find out additional information about my local school's Technology Competition? Please CLICK HERE for the name and email of your school's Integration Specialist. S/he can provide additional information about your school's Technology Competition.
How do projects advance to compete in the district Technology & Innovation Competition? Each school controls its local selection process. Schools will select projects to compete in the district Technology & Innovation Competition.
Who registers students for the district Technology & Innovation Competition? The school's projects will be officially registered by the Integration Specialist for that school.
Are there any changes from last year's competition guidelines? Yes! Some categories have been merged. There are now 12 categories to compete in. Find more information at www.gastc.org.
How many projects may a student enter? A student may register for ONE project in the Atlanta Public Schools District Technology & Innovation Competition. A student may enter as an individual OR as a member of a team, but NOT BOTH.
How many projects may be entered from each school? Only two entries per grade band (Grades 3/4, Grades 5/6, Grades 7/8, Grades 9/10, Grades 11/12) in each category will be accepted from each school.
For example, for the Robotics category, each school may enter two projects per level category as explained above. Elementary schools may send two 3/4 Robotics projects and two 5/6 Robotics projects. Middle schools may send two 5/6 Robotics projects and two 7/8 Robotics projects. High schools may send two 9/10 Robotics projects and two 11/12 Robotics projects. This rule applies to ALL categories.
How many students may be on a team? A team can consist of two students only. These rules are consistent with the State Technology Competition rules.
What if team members are in different age groups? If the grade levels of team members fall in two different age groupings, the team must compete in the age grouping of the older student. These rules are consistent with the state competition rules.
Must both team members attend the competition? The team can be represented by one registered member.
How are projects judged? Teams of judges will view projects and interview participants for no more than 10 minutes. If a project (video, slideshow, presentation, etc.) is longer than about five minutes, the judges will view just a portion of the project. The judges use a rubric guide from the category page and suggested questions to evaluate each project. All decisions of the judges are final, and the APSTIC staff does not change judging results.
TIME FRAME
What time do I need to be there? Students will receive a judging appointment time again this year. Students must check in at least thirty minutes before their appointment time. Our judges are on a strict schedule, and each project must be judged at the given time. Due to the large number of students competing, we cannot accommodate late arrivals regardless of the reason.
There will be no changing or trading of times after the appointments have been set. There will be absolutely no trading of times on the day of the competition. The times have been arranged to consider all the projects in each category, the room placement, grade level groupings, and the awards ceremony.
JUDGING
How long will the judging process be for each entrant? Each entrant will be allotted a maximum of 15 minutes for judging. This time includes viewing a portion of the finished project and interviewing the student(s) on the creation process of the project.
What grade levels are judged together? Our grade groupings are based on the grade groupings at the state competition. Grade groupings are 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10, and 11-12. The grade groupings will be judged throughout the day. Appointment times are set to maximize the judges' time, the available room space, and the various categories.
Is the team competition separate, or are they judged together with individual entries? As is done at the state level, in categories where teams are permitted, teams and individuals compete against each other.
What time does my student compete, as he/she has other commitments that day? Each project will be assigned a specific time to report for judging. The student can leave after they have been judged.
Due to many factors, specific judging times cannot be requested. Due to the large number of students competing, we cannot accommodate late arrivals regardless of the reason.
Do I have to remain at the Tech & Innovation Competition all day? No, you only need to be at the Tech & Innovation Competition from check-in until after your project is judged. Due to the large number of students competing, we cannot accommodate late arrivals regardless of the reason.
When will the winners be announced? Projects placing in 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place will be announced no later than Tuesday after the Tech & Innovation Competition.
Awards will be given in each grade/category for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. The district Tech & Innovation Competition Prize Patrol will personally deliver the certificates, medallions (2nd and 3rd place), and trophies (1st place) to each school.
With what other projects will my project be compared? All projects within a category in the same grade grouping will be judged by the same set of judges. For example, the same judges will see ALL 7-8 Digital Photography projects. Therefore, the same judges compare the attributes of every project that is competing in a given category and grade level.
How are the winning projects determined? Teams of two judges will interview each participant for no more than 10 minutes and see the project. If a project (video, slideshow, presentation, etc.) is longer than about five minutes, the judges will view just a portion of the project. The judges use a rubric guide (aligned with the state rubric) and suggested questions to evaluate each project. After completing the judging of all projects in a grade/category, the judges will rank the projects, and the top three will be awarded 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. All decisions of the judges are final, and the Tech & Innovation Competition staff does not change judging results.
On rare occasions, our judges have deemed that a project simply doesn't meet the standards to represent Atlanta Public Schools at the GaSTC. We respect the right of our judges to make these decisions, and all judges' decisions are final. All first-place winners in each category will advance to and have the honor of representing Atlanta Public Schools in the state competition. A student must be present at the competition and be interviewed by the judges to win. In the case of a team, only one person has to be present at the competition. No proxies or substitutions are allowed.
Can I see the judge's materials after judging is over? Judge's materials are not shared. Judges turn them over to competition officials after the competition closes.
All decisions of the judges are final, and competition officials do not change any judge's results. Tech competition planners appreciate the dedication of the judges who give up a Saturday to help make the competition a reality, and we stand by the decisions of the judges.
Why isn't the Tech Competition set up like a Science Fair with open viewing for parents and students?
Science Fair judges evaluate projects in the absence of the student who created them. Projects are static displays that are set up and left for viewing by judges and visitors. Tech Competition judging is interactive and involves judges meeting with the students who created the project. Most Tech Competition projects are not static displays and must be observed in operation. If judge interviews were going on with visitors moving throughout the judging area, it would be very hard to hear and focus on the project and the student. Students come to the Tech & Innovation Competition from all across the district. We have a limited time in the building, and requiring the students and volunteers to arrive early and stay late after the competition is not feasible. In the past, when we had a one-hour preview period to observe projects, it was difficult to close the viewing time and get the judging started.
Can adults or other students help me with my project? Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to receive help from others when working on your project. However, the project is to be a work by the student or a student team of two. Any help should be to assist the student in the creation of the project, and judges will expect a student to explain ANY aspect of a project's function. If someone else helps you do something, be sure that you understand how to explain it to the judges.
If my project won at my local school in one category, but someone decides that it would be better to be in a different category, can I change my category? No. The GaSTC will ONLY accept projects in the category in which they competed at their local school. The submission of winners from the school liaison serves as the official entry list and will not be changed by the Tech Competition officials. The rules state: “Students may not 'switch' categories. The project will ONLY be judged in the category in which it was registered by the local school liaison. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS, as confirmation emails will be sent to all school liaisons before the competition to catch any registration mistakes.
TIC TOURNEY | Local Technology Competition
Must there be a Technology Competition in my school? No school is required to have a local competition as long as there is some process at the local school level to determine which students may compete in the Atlanta Public Schools District Technology & Innovation Competition. In keeping with the limitations described above, a local school competition is not a requirement.
