Future City Region

Minnesota 

Deadlines & Dates

City
Essay

December 16, 2024

City
Model

January 18, 2025

City
Presentation

January 18, 2025

City
Q&A

January 18, 2025

Regional
Competition

January 18, 2025

Project
Plan:

Part 1

November 15, 2024

Part 2

November 15, 2024

Part 3

December 16, 2024

Part 4

January 15, 2025

About this Region

Regional Coordinator(s)

Colleen Feller

Contact Info

Welcome to the Minnesota Future City Region!

For 25 years, Minnesota 6th, 7th, and 8th graders have imagined, designed, and engineered the future!

Registration is open for the 2024-2025 season!

www.futurecity.org/register

2023-2024 FCC Season – Latest Updates

Justice Page Middle School, team Acacia Ridge, holding their first place trophy.

1/22/24

Congratulations to all 24 teams who competed at the 2024 Minnesota Future City Competition.

“Top Five” Teams:

First Place – Acacia Ridge, Justice Page Middle School

Second Place – Nina Urqukana, Scott Highlands Middle School

Third Place – Pangaea, Mounds Park Academy

Honorable Mention – The Four Leaf, Valley Middle School of STEM

Honorable Mention – Lima, Roseville Area Middle School

 

 Team Isvik from Justice Page Middle School

2024 Special Award Winners

Special Award Name & Description Sponsor Winning School and Team Name
1. Most Innovative City Setting – Most cities are designed for the earth’s surface, but a city may be developed in other environments to support human beings. The city winning this award may be built underwater, underground, on another planet, or in equally innovative setting. 3M Rosemount Middle School, I.S.S. Thoth
2. Best Infrastructure System – Awarded to the city that encompasses infrastructure design for the community’s current and future needs. The infrastructure design encompasses areas of transportation (roads, transit, and bridges), water supply and treatment, and wastewater treatment. American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) – MN Section Justice Page Middle School, Isvik
3. Engineering Excellence – Awarded to the city that best integrates use of many different engineering disciplines, uses creative and practical engineering solutions, and plans for future growth. Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science, and Technology Societies (MFESTS) Roseville Area Middle School, Lima
4. Safe Drinking Water – Awarded to the city that uses the most innovative methods to protect and provide safe drinking water. MN Department of Health & American Water Works Association (AWWA) – MN Section Black Hawk Middle School, Llumin
5. Best Transportation System – Awarded to the city with a transportation system that best provides for: safe and efficient movement of people and goods, creative financing for transportation, various types of transportation (i.e. bikes, buses, cars rail, etc.), water drainage for protection of roads, environmental protection, and traffic management. SRF Consulting Group, Inc. Scott Highlands Middle School, Níohöggr
6. Most Practical Design – Awarded to the city that best considers practical implementation and sustainable use in their future city. MN Society of Professional Engineers (MnSPE) Mahtomedi Middle School, Superior City
7. Best Industrial/Commercial Layout – Awarded to the city that best integrates industrial and commercial aspects into the infrastructure of their city. Association for Facilities Engineering (AFE) – Twin Cities Chapter 13 Friendly Hills Middle School, New Delos
8. Most Innovative Power System – Awarded to the city with an innovative power system that addresses critical requirements, including reliability, disaster planning, environmental impact, and cost effectiveness. Emerson Justice Page Middle School, Acacia Ridge
9. Readiness for Natural and Human-made Disasters – Given to the team that has demonstrated the most thought into addressing risks to its infrastructure and populous stemming from potential natural and human-made disasters. Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) – Mpls-St. Paul Post Andersen United Middle School, Clam Chowder
10. Best Rail Infrastructure – Awarded to the city that best utilizes freight and passenger rail in its infrastructure. HDR New Richmond Middle School, Wanvil
11. Most Environmentally Friendly Power Source  – Awarded to the city that designs an outstanding system to deliver power to a community in an environmentally friendly way
and communicates a strong understanding of the pros and cons of
the chosen energy source.		 Eaton Justice Page Middle School, Kai Kohola
12. Best Land Surveying Practices Award – This award recognizes the design that employs the best land surveying practices, taking into consideration the high standards used by surveyors to help protect the public’s safety and welfare. National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) Scott Highlands Middle School, Nina Urqukuna​
13. Most Innovative Constructability – Most city populations are not fans of construction and delays. Getting the best design and system integrations are only great if they can also be done in a timely and cost-effective fashion. Awarded to the city design with the best constructability that identifies and removes obstacles to ensure timely construction, prevents errors, and reduces cost overrun. Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA-Upper Midwest Region) Mounds Park Academy, Pangaea
14. Outstanding Future City Project Plan – This award recognizes a team’s outstanding understanding of Project Management concepts and application of Project Management knowledge. Teams should be able to explain how they followed the project cycle when designing their future city. They should be able to clearly communicate their activities in each stage of the project cycle, including how they created their project schedule, assigned responsibilities, and monitored and controlled their work. Finally, teams should be able to explain what they learned during their project by answering the kinds of questions that they ask themselves during their team reflection. Project Management Institute Educational Foundation (PMIEF) Valley View Middle School, Oakstone

15. Best Incorporation of Cultural and Historical Resources into a City

Awarded to the city whose design best incorporates historical & cultural sites, buildings, infrastructure, and customs.

  Minnesota Surveyors and Engineers Society (MSES) Scott Highlands Middle School, Níohöggr
16. Innovative Spark: Electrifying Urban Mobility Award – Acknowledges a visionary team that pioneers exceptional public transit access and micro-mobility options within their Future City. Their commitment to reducing emissions and enhancing public transportation reflects a dedication to sustainability and inclusivity, ensuring that residents with various mobility needs are catered to effectively. This award celebrates their outstanding efforts to create a Future City where clean, efficient, and accessible public transportation options spark positive changes and propel us towards a more sustainable and inclusive urban landscape. HNTB Mounds Park Academy, Vannbasert

17. Best Visualization of a Smart, Sustainable City – Smart and sustainable cities incorporate new technologies and materials in novel ways to accommodate growing populations equitably and sustainably. Designs should highlight how new technologies will change the way cities look, feel, and function.

 

 

 ASCE National Valley Middle School of STEM, The Four Leaf
Special Awards Determined by Numerical Score

 

 
1. Outstanding Essay – Awarded to the team with the highest-scoring research essay. Minnesota Transportation Conference & Expo (MTC&E) Mounds Park Academy, La-Ville-De-Vie
2. Outstanding City Model – Awarded to the team with the highest-scoring city model. City Engineers Association of Minnesota (CEAM) Scott Highlands Middle School, Nina Urqukuna​​
3. Outstanding Team Presentation – Awarded to the team with the highest-scoring presentation. CenterPoint Energy Mounds Park Academy, Pangaea
4. People’s Choice Award – Awarded to the team whose city is voted the favorite by people in attendance at the 2024 MN FCC at DCTC. MN FCC Steering Committee Justice Page Middle School, Kai Kohola
5. Outstanding First-Year Participant – Awarded to the highest-scoring team from a school that is competing in Future City for the first time.
 MN FCC Steering Committee Valley View Middle School, Oakstone

Sponsors & Partners

Sponsors

Platinum Contributor ($4,000 and above)
Gold Contributors ($2,500 to $3,999)
Minnesota Transportation Conference and Expo logo
Silver Contributors ($1,500 to $2,499)
Association for Facilities Engineering logo
 Bronze Contributors ($500 to $1,499)

Alliant Engineering

American Engineering Testing (AET)

Barr Engineering

Bolton & Menk, Inc.

Center for Transportation Studies, U of M

Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) – Upper Midwest Region

Erickson Engineering

GRAEF

Great River Energy

HGA

HNTB

Kimley-Horn

Kurita America

Minnesota Association of County Surveyors (MACS)

Minnesota Federation of Engineering, Science, and Technology Societies (MFESTS)

Minnesota Society of Professional Engineers (MnSPE)

Minnesota Surveyors and Engineers Society (MSES)

National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES)

Project Management Institute Education Foundation (PMIEF)

Society of American Military Engineers (SAME)

SRF Consulting Group, Inc.

Stantec

Wheeler Lumber

 

Partners

Competition Host Site

Dakota County Technical College

SparkPath

Future City Minnesota is coordinated by SparkPath, a non-profit organization located in Arden Hills, Minnesota.

BrightWorks

SparkPath presents its K-12 student enrichment programs in partnership with BrightWorks, a Minnesota Service Cooperative that supports the seven-county Twin Cities metro area.

Mentors Needed

Virtual or On-site Mentors Welcome

Engineers, city planners, and other professionals with technical backgrounds: you are invited to volunteer as a mentor for the Minnesota Future City Competition (FCC).

Future City mentors volunteer once per week (virtual or in-person) from September to January. Mentors provide advice, guidance, and technical assistance as the students work on the various project components. In the early weeks, you’ll meet with the team to get to know the students and focus them on the big picture: good urban design, an overview of the essay topic, and brainstorming possible solutions. Later, you’ll help with the model, teaching the students about scale, and working on the presentation. Making yourself available by email to review things like the essay and ideas of futuristic components is helpful too. A teacher is also present when you meet with students.

Interested in mentoring? We’ll help you connect with a school near your home or work. Contact Colleen Feller at colleen.feller@brightworksmn.org

 

Judges Needed

Engineers, architects, city planners, and other professionals with technical backgrounds: we need your time and expertise!

Future City provides an authentic STEM experience for middle school students around the country. Engineers created this competition and its success is dependent upon continued support from industry professionals and those in the STEM community. Serving as a judge is fun and rewarding. Judges should have a technical background sufficient to understand and evaluate the student’s work. Engineers, city planners, architects, secondary students, and others in the STEM community are welcome and encouraged to volunteer! Future City provides assessment rubrics and training.

Judging Opportunities:

There are 2 different judging opportunities:

Essay Judge – virtual – volunteers read 5 research essays written by the students on the “Electrify Your Future” theme. A rubric and scoresheet are provided. Scores are submitted electronically. Time commitment: 3 hours. Essays are available to be judged starting in mid-December. Scores are due in early January.

City Model/Presentation Judge – in person – volunteers come to the MN Regional Finals on 1/20/24 at Dakota County Technical College from 8:00 am-noon. Judges listen to 6 different student teams give a 7-minute presentation, then ask the students follow-up questions about their city model. Judges are in teams of two. Friends can request to judge as a team. A rubric and scoresheet are provided. Coffee, treats, and lunch are provided to judges as well. It’s fun and rewarding.

Register to be a judge here (choose “Minnesota” as your state): Register here »

*Be sure to select “regional competition judge” and choose “Minnesota” as your region.

Questions?

Contact Colleen Feller, MN FCC Coordinator, colleen.feller@brightworksmn.org or 612-638-1511.

Our History

The Future City Competition was offered for the first time in Minnesota during the 2000-2001 school year. Seventeen schools participated during that inaugural year. Since then, Future City Minnesota has grown–25 to 40 schools participate each year. Our mission has remained the same: to expose middle school students to engineering in a creative, hands-on way.

Below are the 1st place winners from each year, as well as the location of the regional competition.

Date First Place Winner Regional Competition Venue
2000-2001 Chippewa Middle School (Mounds View) St. Anthony High School
2001-2002 Chippewa Middle School Science Museum of Minnesota
2002-2003 Cook County Middle School (Grand Marais) FAIR School (Crystal)
2003-2004 Chippewa Middle School FAIR School
2004-2005 Blackhawk Middle School (Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan) FAIR School
2005-2006 Chippewa Middle School FAIR School
2006-2007 Valley Middle School (Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan) FAIR School
2007-2008 Chippewa Middle School University of St. Thomas
2008-2009 Cook County Middle School University of St. Thomas
2009-2010 Chippewa Middle School University of St. Thomas
2010-2011 St. Francis of Assisi School (Rochester Catholic Schools) University of Minnesota
2011-2012 Blackhawk Middle School (Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan) University of Minnesota
2012-2013 Grandview Middle School (Westonka) University of Minnesota
2013-2014 Lifelong Learning Center (Maple Plain) University of Minnesota
2014-2015 Orono Middle School University of Minnesota
2015-2016 Olson Middle School (Bloomington) Dunwoody College of Technology
2016-2017 St. Francis of Assisi School (Rochester Catholic Schools) Dunwoody College of Technology
2017-2018 Justice Page Middle School (Minneapolis) Dakota County Technical College
2018-2019 Justice Page Middle School (Minneapolis) Dakota County Technical College
2019-2020 Justice Page Middle School (Minneapolis) Dakota County Technical College
2020-2021 Roseville Area Middle School Virtual
2021-2022 Justice Page Middle School (Minneapolis) Dakota County Technical College
2022-2023 Mounds Park Academy Dakota County Technical College
2023-2024 Justice Page Middle School (Minneapolis) Dakota County Technical College

Contact Us

Colleen Feller – Minnesota Future City Competition Coordinator

SparkPath (formerly Success Beyond the Classroom)

2 Pine Tree Drive, Suite 101
Arden Hills, MN 55112

direct: 612-638-1511

colleen.feller@brightworksmn.org