ProjectCSGIRLS blends technology and computer science in a competition for middle school girls that aims to instill a love of learning while encouraging them to develop ideas that are powerful, disruptive, and cutting-edge.

The contest was the brainchild of Pooja Chandrashekar, now a Harvard freshman majoring in biomedical engineering, who was dismayed to see so few females in her sophomore high school computer science classes. So she decided to form a nonprofit to help close the gender gap in the male-dominated tech field. In addition to the contest, the nonprofit holds learn-to-code workshops around the country.

ProjectCSGIRLS asks 6th to 8th grade girls to build something using computer science and technology that can help solve an imminent social problem in one of three areas: global health, a safer world, and intelligent technology. Deliverables include a technology summary and video. See the competition details HERE. The top five finalists will be awarded a trip to Washington, D.C., in early June.

Past contests have brought over 900 middle school girls in over 30 states together with technical professionals and organizations.

The contest opened in September 2015. The deadline for submitting projects is April 15, 2016. Click HERE to submit.

Filed under: Competitions and Contests, K-12 Outreach Programs

Tags: coding, Competitions for Students, Computer Science, Contest, Grades 6-8, ProjectCSGIRLS