Empowering STEM Education Professionals Programme

Discover ESEPP 2026 / 2027
About the Programme
Register for the ESEPP Hackathon
Theme
Timeline
Details

THEME

Hacking the Heat:
Innovating for Sustainability and Learning

How can you rethink the spaces where we live, learn and play to help us cope with the heat? From the materials we use to the structures we design, you can explore possibilities for creating cooler, more comfortable environments with sustainability in mind. 

Through STEM learning, you can investigate this challenge, connect ideas across disciplines and develop and test solutions. This year’s theme invites you to innovate for both sustainability and learning - considering not only how your solutions address the heat, but also how you can create meaningful opportunities for your students to engage in STEM problem-solving. 

Begin by wearing the student’s hat as you take on a hands-on Hackathon challenge. Then, if you choose to continue with the competition, put on the teacher’s hat to design and enact your own STEM learning experience. Through this journey, you can inspire your students to explore possibilities, make informed decisions and contribute to a more sustainable future. 

TIMELINE

DETAILS

  • Part 1: The Hackathon 

    12 November 2026 | 2.00 pm–5.00 pm 

    Step into your students’ shoes and experience STEM learning first-hand. Under the theme “Hacking the Heat: Innovating for Sustainability and Learning”, you will “wear the student’s hat” as you engage in hands-on STEM problem-solving.  

    During this three-hour Hackathon, you will work with your team to explore a heat-related sustainability challenge, develop ideas and test solutions. Along the way, you can reflect on your experience as a learner and consider how it might inform the STEM learning experiences you design for your students. 

    Event and registration details 
    Date: 12 November 2026 
    Time: 2.00 pm–5.00 pm 
    Venue: Science Education Laboratory, NIE  
    Team size: Minimum 3 and maximum 5 members per team 
    Registration deadline: 2 November 2026, 11.59 pm (SGT)

    Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. Form your team and register early to secure your place. 

    You can join the Hackathon without committing to the competition. If you choose to continue, you will put on the teacher’s hat to design and enact your own STEM learning experience, then document and reflect on it through a photo diary. 

  • How might your experience as a learner inspire the STEM learning experiences you design for your students? 

    If you choose to continue with the competition after the Hackathon, you will put on the “teacher’s hat” and develop your own STEM learning experience in response to the theme “Hacking the Heat: Innovating for Sustainability and Learning”. 

    Drawing on your Hackathon experience, you will design a learning experience suited to your students and teaching context, enact it with your students, and document your journey through a photo diary. Rather than simply reproducing the Hackathon, consider how you can create meaningful opportunities for your students to connect ideas across disciplines, explore possibilities and develop and test solutions. 

    Competition and registration details
    Participation: Optional continuation after the ESEPP Hackathon 
    Your task: Design and enact a STEM learning experience for your students 
    Submission: A photo diary documenting and reflecting on your classroom implementation. A submission template will be provided after the Hackathon.  
    Submission deadline: 20 March 2027 
    Announcement of winning teams: 16 April 2027 

    Competition participation is optional. If you enter, you are encouraged to join the Learning Festival to continue your professional learning and celebrate the achievements of the STEM education community. 

    Team formation details
    Did not participate in the hackathon?
    You may still participate in the competition.
    Participated in the hackathon?
    You may continue with your Hackathon team or make changes to its membership when entering the competition, subject to the following: 

    1. Your competition team must have 3–5 members. 

    2. At least one member of your competition team must have participated in the Hackathon as part of your original team. 

    3. Members of your original Hackathon team may withdraw, and you may add up to two new members who were not part of that team. 

    This allows you to involve other colleagues while ensuring that your competition team can draw on a member’s first-hand experience of “wearing the student’s hat” during the Hackathon. 

  • Come together with fellow educators, industry partners and the wider STEM education community to exchange ideas, deepen your professional learning and celebrate STEM education. 

    At the Learning Festival, you can participate in professional-learning and sharing opportunities, reflect on classroom experiences and explore ideas for your own teaching. The festival culminates in an Award Ceremony celebrating the achievements of the winning teams. 

    Whether you have participated in the Hackathon, entered the competition or are joining ESEPP for the first time, you are welcome to attend. 

    Event and registration details 
    Date: 27 May 2027 
    Venue: NIE, Singapore 
    Who can attend: Local and international primary and secondary school teachers, including those who have not participated in the Hackathon or competition. 
    Registration opens: 22 March 2027 
    Registration closes: 9 April 2027 

    If you have entered the competition, you are encouraged to attend. You do not need to have participated in the Hackathon or competition to join the Learning Festival.