High School - Challenge 3: Design in a Decade - Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden

GRADES 9 to 12 | 2026-2027

Challenge 3: Design in a Decade – Tales from 2036

YOUR CHALLENGE:

Cities around the world are being redesigned to work with nature instead of against it. In Singapore, Milan, Medellin, Tokyo, Copenhagen, and Curitiba, green design has cooled city temperatures, created habitat for wildlife, and changed how people move through and live in urban spaces. Miami could follow the same path. In 10 years, Miami-Dade County will celebrate its 200th anniversary, alongside the 100th anniversary of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Whether Miami becomes a greener city by then depends on the ideas and designs students like you develop and support now.

For this challenge, you will write a fictional short story from the perspective of a resident of your community living 10 years into the future and reflecting on the design choices your community made. Did Miami become a city in a garden with plant-powered technology woven into every neighborhood? Or did growth take a different path? Your story should include at least two specific examples of how plants act as nature-based solutions or how plant-related technology could change your community. Use your creativity to tell the story of Miami’s path to sustainable green development while highlighting the specific social, cultural, or civic steps needed to design a more resilient future.

✓ Submission Requirements:
	A titled short story of 500-1,000 words that describes an imagined reality from the point of a resident in their community in the next 10 years.
	Short story should include at least two specific examples of either: How plants act as nature-based solutions How plant-related technology changes your community
	Short story should also include 2-3 specific examples of social, cultural, or civic changes that use green plant-powered design to benefit the community.
	Document that the story is written on must include the student’s first name and last initial, student grade level and school name ON THE LAST PAGE.
	AI use is permitted in the Fairchild Challenge, but full disclosure of what AI-based model and prompts were used is required. If AI use is detected without disclosure, the entry will be disqualified. Note: The Fairchild Challenge still strongly encourages original non-AI based designs and written work. Please be mindful that there is an environmental cost each time AI is used!
	Digital Entry Form with short story directly attached as a PDF or Word document.
	On-time submission. Late submissions will be accepted with a reduction in points.
	Two submissions per school.

CHALLENGE RESOURCES:

Important Dates

Submissions Due:
Friday, December 4, 2026 by 5:00pm

Point Breakdown
Participants per submission	Individual Student or Mini Student Groups (6 max)
Maximum number of points per submission	100
Number of submissions per school	2

Evaluation Criteria
Rubric for HS Challenge 3 – Coming Soon!

Fairchild City in a Garden Standards

Aesthetic and Iconic Design

Innovative Green Design

Heat Mitigation

Ecological Integration

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