RAINBOW CITY, AL — The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama has announced the winners of its STEM 250 Competition for fifth- and sixth-grade students, recognizing young learners for their research and writing on American inventions and innovations as the nation approaches the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
According to the Challenger Learning Center, the competition was created to encourage students to explore the contributions of American inventors and innovators whose discoveries have had a lasting impact on the United States and the world.
“We initiated this competition to inspire our emerging leaders of tomorrow – our 5th and 6th graders – to explore their knowledge of American inventors and innovators who changed this nation and the world by their discoveries,” said Dr. Farrah Hayes, executive director of the Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama. “Historical research was necessary to identify American inventions and why the invention played a key role in shaping our world as we know it today.”
As part of the academic challenge, students researched an American invention and wrote three reasons explaining why they believed it was the greatest invention of the past 250 years.
The 2026 STEM 250 Competition winners are:
- Nidhi Bhurane – Organ Transplant
- Evangeline Harrison – Airplane
- Izrabella Johnson – Hearing Aid
- Ella Lawrence – UH-1 Iroquois Helicopter
- Dominic Mitchell – Light Bulb
- Alex Sorci – IBM 350
- Karsten Owensby – Airplane
- Molly Sumners – Global Positioning System (GPS)
Each student received a $125 cash prize. The awards were made possible through support from Etowah County Commissioner Tim Ramsey (District 4) and Emblem Credit Union, with additional prizes provided by Professional Staffing Incorporated (PSI) and Emblem Credit Union.
The Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama is part of a global network of more than 30 Challenger Learning Centers that has served more than 6 million students worldwide. The centers provide immersive, hands-on STEM education programs designed to build knowledge and confidence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics while encouraging interest in STEM careers.
