Overview
Affiliate champion projects are invited to share their work at our world finals. Competitors submit a proposal, report, and promotional video to FPSOnline prior to attending the International Conference. During the world finals, Community Project participants participate in an interview, create a tabletop display, and submit their portfolio to evaluators.
Students also have the opportunity to present their projects to the Future Problem Solving community at the Community Project Showcase.
Helpful Links
Example: Community Projects interview questions
9 Community Projects interview tips based on evaluator feedback
8 Community Projects display tips do’s and don’ts
2026 World finals competition information
Before the world finals, students submit their proposal, report, and promotional video. At the world finals event, students participate in an interview, create a tabletop display, and submit their portfolio. Students also have the opportunity to share their project with the IC community at the Showcase on Saturday. Students will receive their competition times and locations during check-in at the International Conference.
1. Requirements
Student submissions must follow official rules and competitive guidelines, including word count, page limits, and display dimensions. Late or incorrectly formatted/submitted entries will be evaluated but may not be eligible for awards. Coaches will be contacted with FPSOnline credentials prior to May 1, 2026 for submitting materials in advance of the International Conference.
Before you upload, make sure your proposal is written in English, in legible 12-point font (not script), and does not exceed 2000 words. Text within graphics counts towards the word count. Bibliographic citations do not count toward the word count.
Before you upload, make sure your report is written in English, in legible 12-point font (not script), and does not exceed 3500 words. Text within graphics counts towards the word count. Bibliographic citations do not count toward the word count.
Students should begin the report with the underlying problem. This may be the original underlying problem, or a revised version if applicable.
The promotional video must be submitted to FPSOnline as an unlisted YouTube video link by Wednesday, May 6, 8:00 PM (EDT)
Participants in countries that are blocked from YouTube must contact us to make alternate arrangements.
Electronic portfolios must be accessible offline (no weblinks, videos, animations).
Portfolios must not exceed 20 double-sided or 40 single-sided pages/slides. Pages/slides must be a standard size paper (Letter or A4).
Tip
We encourage students to include an additional page (front and back) at the beginning of the portfolio to share “updates” since the proposal and report submission in May. This additional page does not count towards the page limit.
Future Problem Solving will provide one blank standard trifold display board for each project. The official display board, typically 36”H X 48” W (1.2 m x 91.4 cm), must be the basis of the display. Official display boards will include the project code, which must remain visible after all decorations are completed. Students should bring items to enhance the provided display board during the setup time provided. Pre-decorated display boards can not replace the official display board.
Future Problem Solving will provide one table for each project. Only tabletop displays are permitted. No freestanding or under-table display items are allowed. The height of the display must not exceed 50 inches (127 cm) from the tabletop. Projects are allowed to use a single color, undecorated tablecloth/table skirt.
Future Problem Solving will provide some basic supplies for use on a first come first serve basis to supplement student-provided materials. General supplies include glue, markers, scissors, staplers, etc.
Note: Hot glue guns are not permitted due to safety and facility concerns. Spray paint is not permitted. Use of any paint is discouraged because of clean up and dry time.
Display items must remain with the project from the end of set-up on Thursday afternoon, until display removal on Saturday afternoon. Valuable, fragile, or otherwise unnecessary items should not be included. Electronic devices are not prohibited; however, projects must provide their own power source. Future Problem Solving is not responsible for any items left unattended as part of a display.
Physical portfolios must be left with the display on Thursday. Once the set-up timeframe has ended, no items may be added or removed from the display.
Additional items used for crowd engagement during the showcase should not be left at the display during set-up. Participants can bring their additional items to the showcase.
Participants are responsible for the removal of the display on Saturday afternoon.
All interviews will address the step in the problem-solving process that was most important to the project. Evaluators will prepare questions from the student work. For more information, see a sample list of possible questions to help students prepare.
Team project interviews will last up to 30 minutes.
Individual project interviews will last up to 15 minutes.
Interview time slots are typically planned for Thursday evening and Friday. Coaches receive assigned interview times with their International Conference check-in materials.
Reminder: Interviews will be conducted in English. Be sure to note any needs for translation during International Conference registration.
2. Student participation
Only students registered for the International Conference may participate in International Conference activities, including the interview, display setup, and the showcase. Students may not receive help from coaches, parents, or chaperones when constructing or adjusting the display.
3. Submission timeline
We will begin sending FPSOnline login credentials to coaches after affiliate champions are determined, beginning April 22, 2026. Fill out the IC help form if you need any assistance with logging in.
Be sure to meet all competition submission due dates for each project component. The 2026 International Conference deadlines are listed below.
| What? | Where? | When? |
| Proposal, Report, & Promotional Video | FPSOnline | Must be submitted by Wednesday, May 6, 8:00 PM (EDT). All three elements must be submitted at the same time. |
| Portfolio | Emailed or On-site | Electronic portfolios must be emailed as a compressed PDF to projects@futureproblemsolving.org by Monday, June 8, 8:00 PM (EDT). Physical portfolios must be left with the project display during project set-up on Thursday, June 11. |
| Display | On-site | Project set-up is Thursday, June 11, as assigned at check-in. Students will have approximately 3 hours to set-up. |
| Interview | On-site | Interview time slots are planned for Thursday, June 11, 7:00-9:00 PM and Friday, June 12, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM (EDT). Interview times will be provided at check-in. |
4. Translation and accommodations
All requests for translations or educational accommodations must be made during registration. All work submitted must be provided in English. Please note any need for interview translations during registration so arrangements can be made. All evaluations will be completed in English.
5. Showcase
Each year at the International Conference, we celebrate the contributions students make to their communities. On Saturday afternoon, after all evaluations have been completed, students will display their work to the Future Problem Solving community during the Community Projects Showcase. This is an opportunity for students to learn and share their projects with each other and a broader audience.
6. Good judgment
Competition Integrity
All work submitted by students for their competition must be their own original work, completed in accordance with posted rules and competition instructions. Submitted work will be scanned for authenticity (including AI-generated content and plagiarism). All competitors must follow all competition rules and room instructions. Failure to follow competition rules may result in disqualification. For more information, please review the Competition Integrity page.
Evaluation
Evaluators use the official Community Problem Solving Evaluation Guidelines to assess all International Conference submissions. Future Problem Solving evaluators apply rubrics (with expectations) for corresponding point values for a range criteria, including:
- Problem-solving process
- Community engagement
- Effective communication
- Project ownership
- Creativity
Each project receives two evaluations. Each evaluator uses total points to determine the project’s rank. Points and ranks from each evaluation are used to create a composite score (values are assigned to a set range of points and ranks). Placement is determined using the composite score.
While there are guidelines and descriptions of expectations, Future Problem Solving evaluation is based on subjective scoring. Because there is no single “right” answer, varying interpretations of student work are possible. Each evaluator determines the points that are awarded for each section of a score sheet. For more information and a sample scoresheet, see the how Community Projects is evaluated article.
Questions?
If you have any questions related to this competition at the International Conference, fill out our IC help form.
