SAGINAW, Mich. – For the next five and a half months, a group of Saginaw high schoolers has a job that most adults would find daunting: solve a real-world problem and prove it works.
Five Saginaw Public School District teams, four from Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy (SASA) and one from Saginaw United High School, have advanced to Phase Two of the 2026-27 A.H. Nickless Innovation Award. They're among 18 teams from nine high schools across Bay, Midland, Saginaw, and Tuscola counties still in the running.
The stakes are real. Three winning teams will split up to $77,500 in student scholarships and STEM education grants for their schools.
From idea to blueprint
The teams earned their spots in Phase One, which ran from mid-August to early October. Each had to pick a problem worth solving and make the case in a two-page abstract for how they'd tackle it.
Now the work gets harder. Every advancing team receives a $1,000 grant to research, test, and build out a workable solution. Project reports are due March 31, 2027.
Then the students step into the spotlight. On Saturday, April 24, 2027, teams will present their projects to the public at Saginaw Valley State University. Winners will be announced at the end of the day.
What's on the line
First place: up to five $5,000 scholarships for team members, plus a $20,000 STEM education grant for the school
Second place: up to five $2,500 scholarships, plus a $10,000 grant for the school
Third place: up to five $1,000 scholarships, plus a $5,000 grant for the school
A contest with a long track record
The competition is open to students ages 13 to 18, and the topics are wide open. Projects often focus on alternative energy, healthcare, science, technology, and life sciences, but students aren't limited to those.
This year marks the award's 14th season. Since it launched in 2013-14, more than 625 students have presented nearly 200 team projects, and $816,500 has gone to students and schools: $396,500 in scholarships and $420,000 in STEM grants.
The Nickless Family Charitable Foundation created the award to honor Arthur H. Nickless, a local innovator and the owner of Wolverine Telephone Company. Its goal is to spark a passion for science, technology, engineering, and math, and to push students to work in teams and think creatively.
What comes next
For SPSD, the news is a point of pride. Students from two of the district's high schools are about to put months of work in front of a public audience, and the district will follow their progress all the way to April.
Updates will be shared on SPSD's social channels. To learn more about the competition, visit ahninnovationaward.com.