Future Problem Solving Program: A Complete Guide

The Future Problem Solving Program is a highly respected international competition that challenges students to design meaningful community impact projects and advance to the World Finals, where top participants earn global recognition.

For students seeking a high level of academic challenge and distinction, this guide explains what Future Problem Solving is, how students qualify, how winners are selected, and how participation in the program can strengthen a competitive college application.

• What Is the Future Problem Solving Program?
• Future Problem Solving Awards and Prizes
• How to Qualify for the Future Problem Solving Program
• How to Get into the Future Problem Solving Program
• How to Win the Future Problem Solving Program
• Future Problem Solving Previous Winners
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Takeaways

What Is the Future Problem Solving Program?

The Future Problem Solving Program is an international education program that challenges you to analyze global issues and develop research-based solutions using a structured six-step problem-solving process. This process guides you to identify key challenges, define an underlying problem, generate and evaluate solutions, and develop a clear action plan.

Run by Future Problem Solving Program International (FPSPI), the program includes several options, each emphasizing different ways to apply these skills.

You can participate through schools, clubs, regional affiliates, or independently. The highest level of competition is the International Conference (World Finals).

The 2026 World Finals will be held at Indiana University Bloomington from June 10–14, 2026, with participation limited to regional affiliate champions.

Future Problem Solving Awards and Prizes

The Future Problem Solving Program recognizes achievement through competitive placements and honors rather than large cash prizes. These awards document your performance, leadership, and impact.

While some affiliates offer modest monetary prizes, the primary value of these awards is the academic distinction and credibility they provide.

How to Qualify for the Future Problem Solving Program

Qualification for the Future Problem Solving Program varies by program and by regional affiliate, but your pathway always begins with registration. Your first step is deciding how you will join.

If FPS is offered in your area, you can participate through your regional affiliate. If you’re unsure whether an affiliate exists near you, you can check using the FPS affiliate finder and connect with the appropriate regional contact.

If no regional affiliate serves your location, you can still qualify by joining through the Open Affiliate program. This centralized option allows students and teams from unserved regions to participate virtually in approved Future Problem Solving programs.

After you determine your pathway, your coach will complete the registration process on your behalf. Below are the the eligibility requirements you must complete to successfully register:

Eligibility

You may participate if you are in grades K–12, with eligibility varying by program. Competitive divisions are organized by grade level:

• Junior Division. Grades 4–6.
• Middle Division. Grades 7–9.
• Senior Division. Grades 10–12.

Depending on the program, you may compete individually or as part of a team. Team sizes vary by event, with some programs allowing up to four students and others permitting larger project-based teams.

Required documents

To participate in any Future Problem Solving program, you must be registered under an adult coach. Every individual or team is connected to a coach who serves as the primary point of contact for registration, communication, and supervision throughout the program. Your coach may be a parent, teacher, or mentor, as long as they are an adult able to guide your participation.

Once your coach registers—whether through a regional affiliate or the Open Affiliate—you are officially eligible to join programs and submit work. Registration provides access to required program materials, submission platforms, and evaluation.

Contest fees

Fees vary by program and regional affiliate. Registration typically covers access to program materials, use of the FPSOnline platform, and evaluation with written feedback.

Below is the list of season fees for 2025–2026:

• Global Issues. Teams (4 students): $135 per team; Individuals: $110 per student
• Community Projects. Teams (1–15 students): $125 per project.
• Creative Writing. Premium registration: $65 per student; Standard registration: $45 per student. Premium registration includes draft feedback.
• Storytelling. Individuals: $45 per student
• Learning Problem Solving. Teams (1–4 students): $135 per team; Fees cover season materials and evaluation for two 2025–26 topics, subject to submission deadlines.
• Coach Registration. New coaches: $50 per coach; Returning coaches: $40 per coach

Note: Additional fees may apply for affiliate finals and World Finals participation.

Registration deadlines

Registration and submission deadlines are set by each regional affiliate, so timelines vary by location and program.

Typically, local and affiliate deadlines fall between January and April, while international-level deadlines occur from May through June. World Solutions Challenges follow a fixed annual schedule, while other programs advance through local, affiliate, and international stages.

The 2026 International Conference will be held at Indiana University Bloomington from June 10 to June 14, 2026. Below is the 2026 International Conference timeline:

• March 1, 2026. World Finals topic announced
• February 1, 2026. Registration opens
• May 1, 2026. Registration deadline

Additional timelines, submission examples, and evaluation rubrics are available in the Resources Library.

How to Get into the Future Problem Solving Program

Getting started with the Future Problem Solving Program follows a clear, step-by-step process that guides you from choosing how to participate to advancing through competitive levels.

Step 1: Find your affiliate or join the Open Affiliate.

Begin by determining how you will participate. If Future Problem Solving is offered in your area, you can join through a school-based program, community club, or regional affiliate. If no local or regional affiliate serves your location, you may participate through the Open Affiliate, which allows students and teams from unserved regions to compete virtually.

Step 2: Choose a program.

Next, select the program that best matches your interests and grade level. Global Issues involves researching a future-focused topic and developing a written action plan using the six-step problem-solving process. Community Projects focuses on identifying a real community issue, implementing a solution, and documenting its impact.

Creative Writing requires crafting an original short story set at least 20 years in the future, while Storytelling centers on delivering a futuristic narrative through an oral performance. Challenges ask you to analyze a current issue and submit a written action plan within a set competition window.

Step 3: Register with a coach.

Before you can participate, you must be registered under a coach who serves as the primary contact for registration and communication. Once your coach completes registration through your affiliate or the Open Affiliate, you become eligible to access program materials and begin preparing your submission.

Step 4: Prepare and submit your work.

After registration, research your assigned topic, review official program resources, and complete the required submission for your chosen program. Each program has its own format and requirements, and all submissions are evaluated by trained evaluators using standardized rubrics.

Step 5: Advance through competition levels.

Top-performing students and teams advance through their affiliate’s competition structure, with the highest achievers qualifying to attend the International Conference (World Finals).

How to Win the Future Problem Solving Program

Because only about 7% of participants advance to affiliate championships and the International Conference (World Finals), strong preparation and clear, structured thinking are essential for success. Below are the winning strategies for every Future Problem Solving contest:

Global Issues Problem Solving (GIPS)

To win in Global Issues Problem Solving, you need strong future-focused research and precise use of the six-step process within the two-hour limit. For the 2025–2026 season, the topics focus on major scientific, technological, and societal challenges, including Invasive Species, Space Exploration, Video Games, and Surveillance.

A smart way to excel is to ground your work in real mechanisms behind each topic. For example, in Invasive Species, use evidence-based predictions, such as anticipating that by 2050, climate-driven habitat shifts could allow invasive insects to spread into northern forests where native predators cannot adapt, triggering severe ecological and economic damage.

Strong competitors turn insights like this into a sharply defined underlying problem, generate diverse solutions, apply clear criteria, and finish with a realistic action plan that explains who acts, how implementation works, and why the solution succeeds in the future scenario.

If you’d like to strengthen your skills even further, you can work one-on-one with a science research mentor to build the advanced research and analytical abilities that help you stand out in Global Issues Problem Solving.

Community Projects

To win in Community Projects, you must show credible research, focused problem-solving, and real, sustainable impact.

A strong model is the 2023 Beyonder Award project Who’s on the Other Side?, where a two-student team tackled Minnesota’s surge in online child grooming by grounding their work in state and national data, identifying multiple social and legal challenges, and narrowing them into a clear, achievable underlying problem.

They implemented age-appropriate lessons, partnered with advocacy organizations and school leaders, created sustainable resources, and adapted their plan when obstacles arose. What set them apart was measurable action: delivering tools, instruction, and community partnerships that continued after the project ended.

Judges reward this kind of focused execution, documented outcomes, and long-term community benefit.

If you’d like guidance building a truly high-impact project, our Passion Project Program can help you work one-on-one with a mentor to develop competitive, community-changing initiatives.

Creative Writing

Winning Creative Writing submissions combine creativity with well-structured, believable futurism. Your story must take place at least 20 years in the future, but the future world should feel grounded in logical scientific, social, or technological developments.

A standout example is the junior story “Superbugged,” which earned second place by taking the real-world issue of antibiotic resistance and extending it into a vivid future where skin suits, surveillance drones, and “disease enclaves” shape daily life.

What made it competitive was the way the writer grounded worldbuilding in scientific trends, used sensory detail to immerse readers in a “post-antibiotic apocalypse,” and built an emotional narrative around two sisters navigating public health policies and systemic inequality.

If you’d like to sharpen your creative writing and storytelling skills to compete at the top writing competitions, schedule a free one-on-one writing coaching with our expert mentors.

Storytelling

To win in Storytelling, you must deliver a polished five-minute oral narrative that blends strong topic research with creative, future-focused performance. Top storytellers anchor their scenarios in one of the 2025–2026 season’s topics and imagine a world 20–30 years ahead as if it were happening now.

What sets winning performances apart is clarity and control: a well-structured story that avoids extreme or disturbing content, uses only voice and subtle gestures (no acting or props), and weaves in realistic trends tied to the chosen topic.

Strong competitors rehearse timing, use cue cards sparingly, and craft narratives where the character works toward a positive change or meaningful solution. The story should feel futuristic yet believable, emotionally engaging, and performed with confidence, pacing, and purpose.

Challenges

To stand out in Challenges, you must apply the six-step problem-solving process with speed, clarity, and strong real-world reasoning during the three-week window. Since this program centers on urgent global issues—such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its growing influence on how we work, live, play, and learn—top teams begin by researching concrete trends, risks, and opportunities related to the topic.

A strong example is the 2023 World Solutions Challenge winner, who developed an AI tool to assess the credibility of online information. It succeeded because it was grounded in real trends, solved a clearly defined underlying problem, and demonstrated practical impact.

Winning submissions follow this model: identify a focused issue, propose diverse and realistic solutions, evaluate them with clear criteria, and produce an action plan that feels both feasible and innovative.

Future Problem Solving Previous Winners

Below are the first place winners from the 2025 Future Problem Solving International Conference (World Finals):

To view the full list of runner-ups and additional placement winners, check out this article.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is the Future Problem Solving Program impressive for college admissions?

Yes. At AdmissionSight, we see the Future Problem Solving Program as a high-impact academic contest that signals advanced research skills, analytical thinking, leadership, and long-term commitment. Advancing to affiliate finals or the International Conference, earning placements, or leading a Community Project provides concrete achievements that stand out in highly selective admissions processes.

2. Is the Future Problem Solving Program a STEM competition?

It is interdisciplinary. While many topics involve science and technology, you also apply policy analysis, ethics, economics, and social reasoning. We recommend FPS to students who want to show intellectual range beyond a single academic lane.

3. Can you participate without a school team?

Yes. You can compete through regional affiliates, community-based programs, or the Open Affiliate if no local option exists. Independent participation is fully recognized and carries the same eligibility for advancement and awards.

Takeaways

• The Future Problem Solving Program is an international academic competition where you are evaluated on research quality, analytical depth, leadership, and solution design.
• Only a small percentage of participants (7%) advance to affiliate championships and the International Conference (World Finals).
• The program is especially valuable if you are interested in STEM, public policy, research, entrepreneurship, or social impact.
• If your goal is to stand out at top-tier universities through meaningful, high-level academic engagement, the Future Problem Solving Program is one of the strongest long-term competitions you can pursue.
• If you want expert guidance on how to position the Future Problem Solving Program within a competitive college application, our Academic and Extracurricular Profile Evaluation can help you and plan your extracurriculars strategically.