Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition
1 Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192
About
The Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition invites middle school students to propose innovative solutions to real-world sustainable transportation problems while engaging with science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM). Participants create a project that can be a demonstration, model, PowerPoint, or other presentation, which is then recorded and presented in a two-part video submission. Each team produces a 3–5 minute campaign video designed for peers and a 5–7 minute explanation video describing how and why the campaign video was designed, why specific safety measures were chosen, and how those measures could be supported by the school or community. Videos are published on the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) website.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
The Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition encourages young people to consider careers in transportation. The Mineta Transportation Institute has sponsored a competition every year since 2003, and the competition is hosted by the MTI-led California State University Transportation Consortium, with funding provided through California’s Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act, for the 2026 competition. The competition includes a partnership, facilitated by MTI, between the middle school participants and a transportation industry professional, and it is open to middle school classes, clubs, after-school programs, and other youth-serving organizations. MTI provides a digital teacher’s guide at no cost for classroom lesson integration and provides $100 to help with project expenses. Late submissions are accepted up to 48 hours after the video submission deadline with a point deduction, and points are deducted for videos that do not meet the length requirements. A virtual winner announcement is held three weeks after the submission deadline.
First-place team receives a $1,000 cash prize, a plaque, and an all-expenses-paid trip for a teacher, two student representatives, and a parent or adult guardian to San Jose, California, for the MTI awards banquet, held annually in June. Second-place team receives $500 and a plaque, and third-place team receives $200 and a plaque. All students who compete receive a signed certificate of participation from MTI. The teacher, club leader, or program counselor leading a competing team receives a $500 honorarium at the conclusion of the competition. The Industry Mentor receives up to a $200 honorarium to participate, and Youth Mentor high school students receive a signed certificate acknowledging their contributions and a stipend of up to $200. Youth Mentor high school students also receive a stipend of up to $200. Students compete to win up to $1,000 in prizes plus an all-expenses-paid trip to San Jose, California, to be honored at the MTI Awards Banquet. Rodney Slater, former Secretary of Transportation, instituted the competition.
Last updated May 22, 2026.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
The Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition encourages young people to consider careers in transportation. The Mineta Transportation Institute has sponsored a competition every year since 2003, and the competition is hosted by the MTI-led California State University Transportation Consortium, with funding provided through California’s Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act, for the 2026 competition. The competition includes a partnership, facilitated by MTI, between the middle school participants and a transportation industry professional, and it is open to middle school classes, clubs, after-school programs, and other youth-serving organizations. MTI provides a digital teacher’s guide at no cost for classroom lesson integration and provides $100 to help with project expenses. Late submissions are accepted up to 48 hours after the video submission deadline with a point deduction, and points are deducted for videos that do not meet the length requirements. A virtual winner announcement is held three weeks after the submission deadline.
First-place team receives a $1,000 cash prize, a plaque, and an all-expenses-paid trip for a teacher, two student representatives, and a parent or adult guardian to San Jose, California, for the MTI awards banquet, held annually in June. Second-place team receives $500 and a plaque, and third-place team receives $200 and a plaque. All students who compete receive a signed certificate of participation from MTI. The teacher, club leader, or program counselor leading a competing team receives a $500 honorarium at the conclusion of the competition. The Industry Mentor receives up to a $200 honorarium to participate, and Youth Mentor high school students receive a signed certificate acknowledging their contributions and a stipend of up to $200. Youth Mentor high school students also receive a stipend of up to $200. Students compete to win up to $1,000 in prizes plus an all-expenses-paid trip to San Jose, California, to be honored at the MTI Awards Banquet. Rodney Slater, former Secretary of Transportation, instituted the competition.
Last updated May 22, 2026.
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