The MAKERS of Change Assistive Technology Challenge engages Arizona high school science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), coding, robotics and technology teams to troubleshoot and create “real-world” solutions that will help improve the lives of young children with disabilities.
Any Arizona high school team is invited to participate in the annual Challenge. The 2026 Challenge begins August 24, 2026 and teams comprised of 3-5 students will have until September 25 to create and submit a poster and video outlining their solutions.
During the 5-week Challenge, students will meet with Volunteer Mentors to receive feedback on ideas and at the conclusion of the Challenge, Volunteer Judges from throughout the community will review submissions and recommend the highest-scoring teams that will advance to an in-person Finalist Presentation on October 23.
Important Dates:
- Now through July 17, 2026 – Register your school to receive a Challenge invitation or Register yourself to receive more information about serving as a volunteer Mentor or Judge
- 07/20/26 – Challenge applications open
- 08/10/26 – Challenge applications due
- 08/18/26 – Challenge Begins
- 09/22/26 – Deadline to submit poster and video outlining solution
- 10/17/26 – In-person Finalist Presentations
If you want to register your school to receive a Challenge invitation or interested in serving as a volunteer Mentor or Judge
For more information about signing up a team or volunteering, please contact Louann Phillips at (602) 361-3785 or email [email protected].
2025 Challenge Made Possible with the Support of:
The 2025 Challenge asked teams to learn about 5-year-old Levi and his family. Levi has Cerebral Palsy and uses several adaptive devices that make it difficult for him to interact with his two younger siblings. His parents’ main goal was to identify a play-based activity that he and his siblings could enjoy together. The high school teams were then invited to develop an assistive device—or enhance one of his existing devices—to support Levi’s participation in an activity meant to promote shared fun, enhance physical activity and provide meaningful engagement for all siblings.
Click here to view 2025 Challenge Instructional Videos
Click here to view the Finalist Presentation recording
2025 MAKERS of Change Winners
Congratulations to our 2025 top winning teams from Xavier College Preparatory, Gilbert Classical Academy and Higley High School.
Each team name is linked to their video or poster submission for a glimpse at their proposed solutions.
Category Honorees
Level 1 Runner Up – Team Overdrive, Chandan Shamala Library
Level 2 Runner Up – Pant-A-Looneys, Firewheel STEM Institute
Newcomer Award Recipient – The Imperial Department of Research, BASIS Peoria
Newcomer Runner Up Award Recipient – Buzzy Ballers, Higley High School
Poster/Presentation Award Recipient – Whimsical Kiwis of Mars, Firewheel STEM Institute
Poster/Presentation Runner Up Award Recipient – Purple Minions, Metro Tech High School
Click on each of the images below to see the solutions proposed by each group.
