Now that your team has started brainstorming for the Careers in Your Community Challenge, let’s walk through what you’ll need to submit.
Before you start: Review the sample submission form, and begin drafting your responses in a separate document. This gives your team space to discuss and refine your ideas before adding them to the submission platform. You can also save your progress and return to the form, as long as you submit by 6:00 p.m. ET on November 19, 2026.
Below is what to expect on the submission form.
1. Tell us about your school and team
Choose a team name, and add basic facts about your school, including its NCES ID, enrollment, CTE participation, and other key details. You’ll also include information about your team lead and any schools you’re working with.
As a reminder, your team lead is the main point of contact and person who submits your final submission. They must be a CTE teacher, coordinator, or director at your school and at least 18 years old.
2. Introduce your team members
In about 350 words, introduce who’s on your team, which CTE programs they’re involved in, and how each person is contributing to the solution.
You’ll also identify the Career Cluster for each CTE program you mention.
3. Describe your solution
This is the main part of your submission. Share your team’s ideas through several short responses:
- Title (10 words). Provide a clear, concise name for your solution.
- Elevator pitch (50 words). Summarize your solution in a few sentences. If your team only had a few seconds to describe your solution, what would you say?
- Solution overview (200 words). Describe how your solution would help students explore in-demand careers and postsecondary opportunities.
- Community connection (350 words). Outline the education, training, and career opportunities available in your area, and how you learned about them from local employers, postsecondary institutions, and community groups.
- Career pathway knowledge (200 words). Explain how students at your school currently explore careers and the challenges they face.
- Impact (200 words). Discuss how your solution would address those challenges and improve how students at your school explore careers.
- Feasibility (200 words). Consider what it would take to put your solution into action, including the time, expertise, technology, funding, and potential hurdles.
4. Upload a video
Submit a video of up to 60 seconds demonstrating your solution. Although the production quality will not be scored, we recommend videos are in landscape format and viewable by anyone with the link.
If students appear on camera, you’ll need the appropriate permissions on file.
5. Obtain approval, then submit
The final steps to submit are:
- Get your administrator’s approval using this email template. This administrator could be your school’s principal or a district-level administrator.
- Complete the final confirmations about the challenge. This means you understand the official rules, terms, and conditions, eligibility requirements, and all other necessary permissions.
- Submit your solution by 6:00 p.m. ET on November 19, 2026. Remember to save your work as you go, and submit early enough to avoid last-minute technical issues.
If you encounter any submission issues along the way, don’t hesitate to email [email protected].