FPS North Carolina

Yes, Future Problem Solving works well beyond the classroom in all the spaces and places young people learn. Many students in North Carolina, whether in teams or on their own, participate with their parents as coaches. Other great out-of-school time options for doing Future Problem Solving include after-school enrichment settings, youth development programs, and independent learning channels. 

Use the North Carolina registration forms for each program to sign up. Payment options include PayPal or check. Once we receive your registration submission, we will email coach and student materials to help you get started.

Purchase orders are accepted from schools and groups. Please contact us directly to register by this method so we can generate an invoice for the regular season registration fees. Fees are due prior to the submission of any student work. 

What are the North Carolina registration deadlines? 
We recommend registering by October 1 for Global Issues. Early registration allows for feedback on both optional practice problems. There is no reduction in fees for later registrations. Registration for all Carolina programs closes on January 1 for the competition season. Two-step Storytelling (December 3) and Creative Writing (December 12) participants must earlier to submit a draft for Round 1 early feedback. Final Storytelling registration via the FPS Open Affiliate is March 4. Students may register to compete in multiple programs.

Global Issues
Carolina Teams (4 students): $180 per team
Carolina Individuals: $100 per student

Community Projects
Carolina Teams (up to 15 students): $180 per team
Carolina Individuals: $100 per student

Creative Writing 
Carolina Individuals: $100 per student

Storytelling
Open Affiliate Individuals:
Premium: US$65 per student
Standard: US$45 per student  (+ coach registration fee)

Learning Problem Solving
Carolina Primary Division Teams (1 students to 1 classroom): $60 per team

Carolina Junior & Middle Teams (4 to 7 students): $100 per team

All coaches gain access to instructional and program materials designed to help them guide their students through the problem-solving process as well as prepare for each regular season topic challenge.

North Carolina program registration fees cover everything students need for each competition, including use of our FPSOnline platform to submit work and evaluation feedback on submissions.

Topic learning units are also available for purchase. Each unit contains background research, more suggested readings, discussion questions, learning prompts, assessment resources, and activity units that pair topic information with 6-step problem-solving process training.

Additional fees are required for those invited to attend our state finals and our world finals.

Coaches get started by training in our 6-step problem solving process and programs via our fall coaching training sessions and/or self-directed learning. Each season's coaching training schedule and registration information is available in August. 

• Global Issues Coach Training (September 10 at 7PM)
• Community Projects Coach Training (September 9 at 7PM)
• Creative Writing Coach Training (October 4 at 7PM)

Find everything else you need to know in our Resources Library to get started and get to work with Future Problem Solving competitions. Learn more about our program competitions, get inspired by our students’ work, find how-to articles, free tools, resources, and best practices to apply.  Our Topic Center and store also include many valuable coaching resources.

Each year, evaluators assess submissions of student work and provide authentic assessment and feedback. FPS North Carolina evaluators complete a two-year training series to certify as an evaluator. Many alumni find serving as an evaluator rewarding. Experienced senior division students may certify to evaluate younger divisions. Often, college students and professionals find evaluating fits their schedules well. Current coaches, parents, and other FPS North Carolina leaders may choose to wear this hat, too. Retired coaches, educators, and professionals also enjoy staying connected by evaluating student work. For further information contact us.

Future Problem Solving North Carolina is an independent 501(c)(3) organization with the following board members and board roles.

Hannah Harrison, Affiliate Co-Director

Anne Lam, Affiliate Co-Director

Ceyda Guley, Board President

Sandy Horton, Creative Writing Coordinator        

Ambika Shyamala, Community Projects Coordinator

Jessica Heiller, Administrative Assistant

Gang Chen, Treasurer

Saeed Ahmed, Board Member

Poonam Arora, Board Member

Judith Geary, Board Member

Ravi Sindagi, Board Member

Caroline Lam, Alumni Representative     

Kate Harrison, Alumni Representative     

Current competitors who are graduating seniors may apply for the FPS International Headquarters Creating the Future Scholarship (apply by January 30).

Past scholarship recipients from FPS North Carolina include Parvathy Unnikrishnan (Duke University), Radhika Unnikrishnan (Stanford University), Caroline Lam (Duke University), and Vishnu Vanapalli (Vanderbilt University).

Each year our regular season competition culminates with our North Carolina state finals. For those who qualify (coaches, teams, individuals), there is a separate participation fee to cover the finals competition costs. Invitations for the state bowl at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain are sent in late February and event registration is due by mid-March. 

Global Issues
Students are invited to participate in the state finals based on their performance on the qualifying problem. They complete the state finals problem during a 2-hour window during the event. Each team must also present their written action plan in a skit.

An action plan presentation is a creative performance or skit that represents the students’ problem-solving process and action plan. Students synthesize their problem solving into a creative performance based on their action plan for judges. Performed in front of a live audience, the presentation can be up to four minutes long. Teams may invite individual finals competitors from to perform in their skits.  

Community Projects
All Community Projects teams and individuals are invited to participate in the state finals if all their required project work is submitted (proposal, report, portfolio, and video). Students complete an interview about their project and assemble a project display for scoring and to present their project at the Community Projects Showcase during the state bowl to all event participants.

Creative Writing 
We announce winners for the competition at the state bowl for the student work submitted in March.

Congratulations to all our 2026 FPS North Carolina State Affiliate Finals winners. The competition was held March 26-28 at YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, NC. 

GLOBAL ISSUES - TEAM

Junior
1st Place  - Anvi, Shwetha, Shreyan, Dhruv (Hickory Ridge Elementary School, Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Goyal
2nd Place - Sanvi, Aadhya, Sahithi, Rupa (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Neela
3rd Place  - Hridhaan, Murali, Neythra, Shourya (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, Kensington Elementary) Coach: Nottath
Middle
1st Place  - Eliza, Eliza, Emma, Luke (Myers Park High School, Northwest School of the Arts, Charlotte Latin School) Coach: Lam
2nd Place - Aparna, Reet, Aathmika, Avanthika (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, Telra Union Day School) Coach: Gireesh
3rd Place  - Annam, Dia, Jasmine, Risha (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Jangala
Senior
1st Place  - Amina, Lily, Bhadra, Summer (Ballantyne Ridge High School) Coach: Harrison
2nd Place - Cameron, Richa, Shradha, Tanishi (Ballantyne Ridge High School) Coach: Harrison
3rd Place  - Anvi, Dhruv, Shreyan, Shwetha (Ballantyne Ridge High School) Coach: Harrison

GLOBAL ISSUES - INDIVIDUAL
Junior
1st Place  - Myra A. (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Arora
2nd Place - Myla P. (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Pericharla
3rd Place  - Divyanka V. (Cox Mill Elementary) Coach: Unnikrishnan
Middle
1st Place  - Anya (Ardrey Kell High School) Coach: Arora
2nd Place - Maanya (Crestdale Middle School) Coach: Pulpati
3rd Place  - Ananya (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Sinha
Senior
1st Place  - Mahi (Providence High School) Coach: Pulipati
2nd Place - Saachi (Hickory Ridge High School) Coach: Goyal
3rd Place  - Cooper (Charlotte Country Day School) Coach: Lam

GLOBAL ISSUES - SKITS

Junior
1st Place  - Neel, Neha, Nila, Ronak (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Patni
2nd Place - Anvi, Dhruv, Shreyan, Shwetha (Hickory Ridge Elementary School, Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Goyal
3rd Place - Aakarsha, Anjana, Nishika (Mckee Road Elementary School) Coach: Varanasi
Middle
1st Place  - Mahathi, Rishaan, Saanvi, Siri  (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Arshanapally
2nd Place - Eliza, Eliza, Emma, Luke (Myers Park High School, Northwest School of the Arts, Charlotte Latin School) Coach: Lam
3rd Place  - Aarush, Nivedh, Sudhish, Surya (Jay M Robinson Middle School) Coach: Karnisetty
Senior
1st Place  - Aashna, Braydon, Eva, Medhini (Ballantyne Ridge High School) Coach: Harrison
2nd Place - Amina, Lily, Bhadra, Summer (Ballantyne Ridge High School) Coach: Harrison
3rd Place  - Anvi, Nia, Emilie, Sahasra (Ballantyne Ridge High School) Coach: Harrison

COMMUNITY PROJECTS - TEAM

Junior
1st Place  - Rutva, Vishruth, Nikhil, Sia, Shikha - Project Fuel the Future (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Tipnis
Middle
1st Place  - Fabi, Grey, Isabel, Sana, Sophia, Wyatt - Project Pet Pals (Alexander Graham Middle School, Trinity Episcopal School & Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School) Coach: Hall and DeLuna
2nd Place - Aathmika, Avanthika - Project Tiny Particles, Big Impact (Telra Institute) Coach: Thiyagarajan
Senior
1st Place  - Bubby, Charlotte, Ella, Violet, Wortham - Project It's Time to Change School Start Times (Myers Park High School) Coach: Hall and DeLuna
2nd Place - Anisha, Saachi, Vamika - Project Giving Life Back to Water (Hickory Ridge High School) Coach: Goyal

COMMUNITY PROJECTS - INDIVIDUAL

Middle
1st Place  - Anya - Project Centsafari (Ardrey Kell High School) Coach: Arora
2nd Place - Ananya - Project Health Hackers (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Unnikrishnan
Senior
1st Place  - Claire - Project WiseWatch (Ardrey Kell High School) Coach: Wang
2nd Place - Aadya - Project Skip the Plastic, Choose the Planet (Ardrey Kell High School) Coach: Patni

CREATIVE WRITING

Junior
1st Place  - Myra (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Harrison
2nd Place - Neal (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Zhang & Lu
3rd Place  - Sahas (Telra Institute) Coach: Sakhalkar & Goyal
Middle
1st Place  - Liz (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Lu
2nd Place - Ananya (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Zhang & Lu
3rd Place  - Hetvi (Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy) Coach: Sakhalkar & Goyal
Senior
1st Place  - Summer (NC School of Science & Mathematics) Coach: Ning
2nd Place - Lily (Ballantyne Ridge High School) Coach: Harrison
3rd Place  - Aadarsh (Harper Middle College) Coach: Lakshmanan

STORYTELLING (via Open Affiliate)

Senior
1st Place  - Avanthika (Telra Institute)